Daddies Dearest
by khaddict
Summary: In which the Sirius crew adopts a three-year-old bundle of trouble.
1. In Which the Sirius Adopts a Toddler

Everything was silent except the footfalls upon the wooden deck and the sloshing of the waves at sea. For once, none of the crew was speaking or joking around, but opting for a comfortable silence. Eduardo manned the helm in the light of the half-moon, keeping watch over the seas. Christopher and Nathan were at the sides of the upper deck, looking out over the ocean while Thomas was quietly taking stock of the rations they had in the storage room just below the upper deck while constantly looking at the waves through the manhole. Russell was at the lookout point atop the main mast, appreciating the stars while the captain was pacing at the front of the ship.

It was one of the most silent nights the crew had spent in each other's company, yet no one complained or started to break the silence. It was quiet welcome in fact. Until one of the members heard a small cry over the waves of the ocean.

"Did anyone hear that?" Morgan asked, looking back at his crew. Nathan shrugged while Christopher's brow was furrowed. He had heard the cry as well.

And again, the cry sounded out, almost sounding like an infant's wail. At this point, Thomas came up to the deck with a panicked look on his face.

"Did anyone see the baby floating at sea?!" He cried, looking anxiously around the crew. Everyone was shell shocked for a few moments before bursting into action.

Eduardo fought to quickly stop the ship while Nathan and Christopher started looking out at the sea to spot the babe. Russell was quickly climbing down to find out exactly what the news was about when suddenly—

"There is it!" Morgan shouted, shedding his jacket and hat to jump into the sea. The crew all ran to the side of the deck to watch their captain swim out a few meters from the boat. Now that the ship was completely quiet, they could hear the squeals coming from the little bundle that the captain was bringing closer to the ship.

Russell and Thomas threw down a long stretch of rope to reel in their Captain.

As Morgan looked down at the bundle, he noted something odd. The babe wasn't wet save for the tears falling down its petite face. It was completely dry. And by extension, he was completely dry as well.

"Hush now small one, it wasn't that scary was it?" Morgan said soothingly with a smile, as if the child actually understood his words.

Soon, Captain Morgan and the small child were pulled onboard and examined

"Here Christopher." Morgan said dryly, handing the bundle to the resident doctor. Christopher nodded, talking to it soothingly and shushing its cries. It was leaning against the doctor's chest while he supported its weight under its legs.

"Now, why are we crying? A pretty thing like you should be laughing." Christopher said softly.

"Who leaves a baby at sea? And how'd it survive" Russell asked partly in annoyance and partly in anger. Damn parents these days were becoming too irresponsible.

"It's not a baby, I'd say. It's at least three." Morgan said. The thing had been much too big to be a mere baby.

"She's a girl." Christopher said, pulling the blanket down slightly to show off black hair and blue eyes that were frames by heavy lashes. Not to mention the girl was wearing a snowy white gown in her size meant for ladies to sleep in.

"What are we going to do with a toddler?" Eduardo asked, walking over to observe the child. She had calmed down considerably and was now watching the men talk about her.

"Easy, we find her parents!" Morgan said brightly, standing from the wooden deck.

"You'd hand her over to parents that stranded her at sea?" Nathan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"We can't very well keep her here." Eduardo said. Christopher was still talking to the child in hushed tones before turning to the navigator.

"Hold her, I'll be right back." He said, ushering the small thing into his arms. Eduardo suddenly found himself with a small girl in his grasp, looking up at him with the most innocent blue eyes ever. At his slightly panicked look, the small girl giggled and grabbed up at his face, catching hold of his nose.

"Noose" She giggled. "Eye. Mouf. Teef."

The little girl touched every part of Eduardo's face respectively while entranced by his features. She was having fun naming all the parts she knew. Eduardo was at a loss for words as he watched the young thing manhandle his face.

Grins were forming on the faces of the other crew members who had ceased their conversations to watch the two interact.

"Cheeks!" She gleefully said, pulling on the man's light skin.

"Would you knock that off, kid?" Eduardo asked suddenly. The little girl stopped for a second as if contemplating the fact that her plaything could talk.

"Knock off?" She asked, confused at his speech.

"Here, she should be hungry, right?" Christopher asked, coming back up from below deck. He had a small bowl of mashed fruit. "I was going to eat this later tonight, but I think it can serve another purpose."

"Here. Take it." Eduardo said, shuffling the girl over to Nathan, who took her with great care. She was startled slightly at the change of faces until she brightened up at Nathan's features.

"New Noose!" She cried happily, poking the tip of the chef's nose. Nathan raised his eyebrows at the small girl.

Eduardo hurried up to the helm while Morgan ushered Russell and Thomas to help get the ship moving again. Soon the ship was picking up speak, the wind ruffling the toddler's hair. Christopher and Nathan agreed to take the toddler into the kitchen. Once they entered the moderately sized room, they sat down at the small table to the far side of Nathan's domain with the small girl in the chef's lap.

"Alright, do you want to eat?" Christopher asked, a kind smile on his face.

"No." She said, hands held toward the bowl.

"No?" Nathan asked confusedly.

"No." The girl nodded up at him, then turned to Christopher again.

"You mean yes." Christopher said, smile still firmly in place.

"Yes?" the girl asked slowly, but confusedly.

"Yes." Christopher said, putting the bowl down in front of the small thing.

The small girl clumsily but eagerly grasped at the spoon in front of her. Sadly, it was too big for her to handle. She became perturbed at the overly heavy and clunky utensil, dropping it and putting her hand in the bowl.

"What are you doing now?" Nathan asked exasperatedly, picking up the spoon. Christopher got a towel and tied it loosely around the toddler's neck before letting her continue with her fruit escapade.

"Hey, what's taking so lo—what is she doing?" Thomas came into the kitchen, adding on to Nathan's annoyance at having so many people in his workspace.

"Fruit!" The toddle gleefully said, showing the apprentice her hands that were covered with the sweet food.

"I can see that," Thomas laughed. "So, can you tell me what you name is?"

Both the Chef and the doctor looked up at the apprentice in surprise. Neither of them had even given thought to the girl's name.

"Name." She asked.

"Yeah, I'm Thomas and you are…" He led off.

"Thomas!" The toddler gleefully cried. Thomas's smile grew at the kid's utter cuteness.

"No, silly. That's my name." He laughed, ruffling the black hair atop the child's head.

"Are you done?" Christopher asked. The little girl answered with another 'no' to which Nathan rolled his eyes and Thomas looked utterly confused. Christopher cleaned her up and huddled her into his arms before the three of them left to go back up to the deck.

"How's the kid?" Morgan asked, grinning at the giggling girl that Christopher held onto. They weren't sure yet if the kid could walk or not, but they'd most likely figure her out tomorrow. As the three came up to the helm, the giggling girl reached for Eduardo who shuffled away.

"Fed and unharmed." Christopher said, setting the small girl down near the feat of the navigator, knowing that the man would be keeping an eye on the child for fear of being cutely manhandled again.

"What are we going to do about her situation though?" Nathan asked.

"We find her parents or drop her off at the next port." Morgan said. "We found this in her blankets. Her parents obviously didn't want her drowning if they gave this to her."

The captain held out a blue pearl, the size of the tiny girl's palm, and promptly pored a cup of water on his sleeve. He was completely dry.

"The thing is charmed?" Thomas asked.

"Or something close to it. If anything, we could look at recent reports of recent shipwrecks as soon as we hit port or try to find the owner of this charm." The captain said. "But for now, she'll be staying with us. She'll rotate rooms so we'll take turns babysitting."

"Noose!" The little girl cried, making all the pirates looked down at her. She was standing, both hands clenched on one of Eduardo's legs. The navigator looked down at the small thing, at a loss for what to do.

"Alright girl, I think it's time you learned that noose means nose." Captain Morgan laughed, picking the girl up and bringing her face level to his. At this point, the toddle didn't mind being picked up and put down so much by so many different people.

"Nose?" She questioned.

"Nose." He said. She shook her head and adamantly fought him.

"Noose." She said, tapping his nose.

"Nope. Nose." He said back, tapping her nose right back.

"Noose." She giggled back.

Morgan sighed, beginning to think that this may take a bit longer than he thought.

"What're we going to call her?" Thomas asked. The pirates looked thoughtfully at the small girl whom had yet to be given a name.

"How about Anne?" Russell asked.

"No thank you. I courted a woman by that name." Morgan said, looking down at the child.

"Jessie." Thomas offered.

"No, too… just no. I don't want to relive that experience." Morgan said, shuddering.

"Marie?" Christopher asked.

"God no! That woman almost choked me to death when she found out I was with Jessie." Morgan said, looking down at the little girl who was confused by all the names flying about her. A few more names came to mind, along with Morgan denying each name because it reminded him of a less favorable encounter he'd had with another woman. Soon a silence came about the pirates. The small girl was yawning at the point, finally tired from all her excitement.

"Leah." Nathan said.

"What was that?" Morgan asked.

"Leah. It's a good name." Nathan said, looking down at the little girl.

"I like it." Thomas said, smiling at the girl in the captain's arms. It seemed that all their talking had lulled her to sleep.

"Alright, the kid's name is Leah. I think it's fitting that the one who named her," Morgan grinned while walking towards the chef, "Should be the one to start the rotation."

With those words, the Captain gingerly handed Leah over to the surprised-but-totally-not-surprised chef. He had thought this might happen, but he doubted that he'd be the one to start the rotation. Honestly, how did they think they could take care of a toddler for six weeks?


	2. In Which Nathan Almost Fries the Toddler

Nathan sighed and carried the little girl to his room, opting to get some sleep before he woke early the next morning. Leah, who nuzzled herself in his chest to find some warmth, snored softly in the way most children do. Nathan looked down at her during the short journey to his cabin. Where would she sleep?

He knew children slept in cribs, but none of crew members would have one of those onboard, so he'd have to make do. Sighing as he pushed open the door, his gaze landed on his small dresser. He nodded to himself and, with Leah slightly juggled in his arms, he took the blanked from his bed and opened the top drawer. He laid out the blanket and left the drawer open, hoping that he wouldn't have to grab any clothes anytime soon from there. Carefully, he laid the child in the drawer and waited a little until he knew she wouldn't wake up.

"How did you get in that ocean?" he muttered to himself before pulling the blanket over her legs and turning to climb into his own bed. Soon, he was out like a light.

Only a few hours later, Nathan woke up to a few shuffling noises.

'_what in the hell?'_ he asked himself before remembering the bundle that was his for a week. He groaned slightly before rising form his bed to check on the little girl. She was rolled over onto her stomach, but asleep nonetheless. Stretching, he thought he might as well start breakfast for that day.

He looked down at the little girl and, without grabbing onto her, picked up her blanket and huddled her carefully so he could carry her without waking her. He walked out to the kitchen and laid her on the table. Nodding to himself, he turned to the meat he'd prepared the afternoon beforehand and grabbed a set of knives. He set to work on chopping the meat before he heard a couple sniffles.

"Momma?" A small voice called quietly. "Momma!"

Nathan whipped around to see Leah. She was sitting up on the tabletop, clumsily rubbing at her eyes that were starting to tear up. Nathan, slightly panicked, rushed over to her before she could start wailing like she had the night before.

"What did Chris do in this situation?" He muttered to himself, then turned to the toddler. "Kid. Kid. Are you hungry?"

"Momma?" She looked up at him, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Where Momma?"

"You'll see her real soon." Nathan sighed. Leah's tears started to come down faster and he inwardly cringed when the small girl started to sob quietly.

"Want Momma now." Leah insisted. Nathan was at a loss. How was he supposed to handle a crying toddler without her parents handy?

"Dammit, what do I do?" He looked around, struggling to help stop the girl's tears before she woke the whole crew. That, and he got a painful feeling in his chest when he saw the little girl cry out for her mother. He rubbed his chin before setting his sights on a book. Kids liked stories right?

"A cookbook will have to do." Nathan said, opening to a random page and reciting measurements, ingredients, and instructions. Soon, Leah started to respond to the chef's calm voice and demeanor. She seemed to calm down slightly thanks to his 'story' to which the chef gave a relieved huff. "Alright, are you hungry?"

"No." Leah sniffled, shaking her head.

"Does that mean yes?" He asked.

"No." She said, turning away from him. Nathan was slightly miffed at that, but took her rejection in stride when he figured she just needed to calm down after her teary wakeup.

Nathan turned to look at the meat, sighing and starting up on it again. A few moments passed before he heard a cluttering come from behind him. The chef turned slightly and froze at the sight he had before him.

Leah had, somehow, some way, gotten herself onto the counter behind him and was playing with the utensils. Mainly the pointy ones like the knives.

"No, no, no." Nathan said, jumping to grab the toddler. He made it just in time to stop her from dropping a particularly sharp cleaver onto her tiny foot. He was berating himself for letting the small girl out of his sights for even a few minutes.

"Leah, what were you thinking?" He asked exasperatedly. Leah was looking up at him innocently. She had no idea what she was playing with. "These are knives, kid. You could cut yourself."

It seemed his words were falling on deaf ears. He set her down on the table and looked at her dead in the eyes. "You could've gotten hurt."

"Hurt?" Leah asked quietly, eyes widening. Good, he was getting through to that toddler brain of hers.

"Yeah, hurt real bad. No more playing with these, okay?" Nathan said, carefully holding the knife in her view. Leah nodded vigorously. "Good. Now sit and be patient. I need to finish making breakfast."

He put the knives away and on a shelf to where the toddler couldn't get to them. He turned back to his meat, but not before keeping an eye on the girl for a few minutes while he chopped. Soon, he figured that she would stay still and put his whole focus on that morning's breakfast. He was about to set everything on the fryer when—

"Leah, what in the hell!" Nathan yelped. Leah had, somehow, some way, gotten herself near the stove and the open fire. Nathan dropped the meat back onto the counter and rushed to grab the toddler who was reaching for the bright flame. She nearly got herself burnt before Nathan picked her up.

Nathan swooped her away with such vigor that Leah found herself in a very high place in a very short amount of time. She suddenly burst into tears, alerting Nathan who was still trying to catch his breath from what he'd just gone through.

"Okay, you're okay. We're okay." Nathan said, bringing the toddler down to his chest, trying to comfort her as well as calm his own raging heart. He looked over at the meat, sighing before looking back down at the toddler. "It's definitely going to be oatmeal for a while until I can keep an eye on you _and_ the food."

* * *

The crew was sitting in the mess room, not smelling the usual smells that wafted from the kitchen. Christopher and Morgan were there early enough to hear Nathan's cries at the toddler, both opting not to enter the tense chef's domain. In his state of mind, it'd obviously be a death wish.

"Nathan… you okay in there?" Thomas called towards the kitchen. Nathan rushed out, toddler in arms, and handed her to Thomas before turning around and silently going back into the kitchen. The crew raised eyebrows at the chef. His hair was disheveled, his eyes spoke of slight panic, and his bandanna was missing. All of them turned to the little girl in the apprentice's arms, wondering what exactly had transpired this morning.

"Good morning Leah. Are you keeping Nathan on his toes?" Morgan asked from his spot across from the toddler.

"Toes!" She said happily, picking up one of her feet and wiggling her toes at the Captain who laughed heartily at her display.

At this point, Nathan walked in with six plates balanced on his arms, putting them down on the table and sitting down on the far end. He put his head in his hands and let out a heavy sigh.

"Rough morning?" Eduardo asked, grinning.

"You just wait 'till it's your turn." The chef said, looking over at the seemingly innocent troublemaker.

"You have all today and six more still in your rotation." Morgan said, grinning. "We're helping out during the day of course, but at night she's in your hands."

"I'll handle her when you're preparing lunch, how's that?" Christopher offered.

Nathan looked at the toddler who was playing with Thomas while he was eating his breakfast, giggling at all the silly faces that the apprentice made. If anything, he was the most easygoing of the crew and the most responsive of the little girl's antics. Nathan closed his eyes, wondering why he was the one to take care of her first instead of Thomas, and also wondering why he was about to tell Christopher this answer.

"I can watch her. It's fine." He grunted, turning to the oatmeal and digging in.

"You sure about that Nate?" Morgan grinned. "You look like you just took on the royal navy in there."

"I can handle her." Nathan assured. If anything, he didn't really trust that Leah wouldn't get into anything dangerous in Christopher's shop. Heaven knew she'd, somehow, some way, end up in a poison or take some medicine that would tear her up from the inside. Not that he didn't trust Chris, but he now knew how sneaky and troublesome the girl was.

"Alright, but remember I offered." Christopher smiled before digging into his own breakfast.

All of them finally started eating, turning the conversation to the next port they'd be stopping at. Leah watched all of them talking with a look of wonderment on her face. She was sitting with so many people, it was so exciting. She only ever remembered being around one or two at a time.

"You fishing today?" Russell asked Nathan. The chef simply nodded, then glanced over to Leah for a few seconds.

"Someone can take her off my hands until I make a good catch." Said Nathan, looking down at the awe struck toddler.

"I'll watch her." Eduardo said, to everyone's surprise. "Russell is in the bird's nest, and he'll let her fall before he even thinks of keeping an eye on her—"

"Would not!" The swordsman cried, although Eduardo continued over him.

"—Doc's busy until lunch, and Thomas'll loose her in the storage room."

"Alright." Nathan nodded. All of them turned to the child, but she was no longer in Thomas's lap.

"Uh…" Russell began.

"Wha- I just put her down!" Thomas cried, looking all around. "She couldn't have disappeared that fast."

Then there was a crash. A wine bottle fell from the highest cabinet behind the bar that resided in the room. All the pirates turned and watched in horror at what was happening. Leah had, somehow, someway, gotten atop the cabinet and was crawling along the tight space because it was too close to the ceiling for her to walk there.

"Dammit Leah!" Nathan cried, jumping up and swooping her own from the cabinet just as she was about to fall off the other side. As the air rushed past her ears, the toddler gave a cry of delight as her savior brought her down from her explorations. It was so much fun to be swung at reasonable speeds.

"How did she even—" Russell began before Nathan shook his head, silencing him. Morgan laughed heartily.

"Looks like the kid's a daredevil." He said, grinning at the temporary addition to the crew.

"No, she's just really dumb." Russell mumbled, promptly getting smacked upside the head by Nathan.

"Good luck with her today, Ed." Christopher smiled, although it was shaky. None of the pirates found it easy to come down from the fright the little girl put them through. They almost lost her on her first day! Nathan, however, sighed in relief and put her down on the table and looked her in the eyes again.

"Bad?" She asked solemnly.

Nathan nodded.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

Nathan gave her a small smile her and ruffled her hair. He then picked her up and gave her to Eduardo who was still looking at the toddler in awe.

"Don't let her out of your sight." Was all the chef said as he turned toward the kitchen to clean up and grab his fishing gear.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" The navigator asked himself as the toddler rocked back and forth slightly on his lap.

"Noose." She said, clambering up to stand and grab the navigator's nose.

"Not this again." He muttered, picking her up and walking out towards the ship's deck. The rest of the crew could only grin in response.


	3. In Which Alan Makes A Fool of Himself

Eduardo found dealing with the little girl easy, surprisingly. All he had to do was make sure that the kid didn't stray far from his line of sight. He was at the helm most of the day anyway, and he could see what she was doing anywhere he looked. However, his plight came when it was time for the kid to use the restroom.

She tugged on the hem of his pants, looking up at him with those innocent blue eyes as if meaning to tell him something.

"Yeah?" He asked, looking down at her. He was surprised, earlier, to find that Leah didn't think he was scary at all. If anything, she was the bravest toddler he knew for being able to come straight up to him without fear even though he towered over her tiny body.

"Bafroom." Was all she said.

Eduardo blanched, but he ultimately knew that if the kid didn't go to the restroom, he would be held responsible for the mess she made. He frantically looked around for someone else on deck, but no one was near enough for him to shove the girl on.

"Alright, let's go." He sighed, silently praying that the kid's parents had the brains to at least potty train her.

Leah smiled gleefully and reached for the navigator's hand expectantly. He bent down and grabbed it, walking with her to the restroom. She seemed comfortable with their situation, as if she had done this plenty of times before. And that's when Eduardo realized she must have done this to her father.

Eduardo's mood sombered quickly, thinking of how Leah would grow up without parents. Although his family wasn't all it was made out to be, he knew how family really effected the way kids looked at life. He didn't want the little girl to turn out cynical and lonely. So, he'd happily play guardian until they found her parents or whoever was left.

Eduardo opened the door to the restroom, letting her walk in and get acquainted with the lavish space.

"Think you'll be okay by yourself, kid?" He asked.

"No." She answered, turning and pushing the door closed on him. He grinned, rolling his eyes slightly. The kid was cute, even he had to admit, and she also had a little bit of spunk. He'd enjoy teasing her when she got older.

When she got older.

"We're not keeping the kid." He told himself firmly. "We're not cut out to be parents with this life."

He heard a flush, a few footsteps, a pause, and then a couple thumps. What was that kid doing? Eduardo knocked on the door after a few more thumps. Leah cracked the door open, looking at him seriously.

"Wash hands." She said, deeply upset. Eduardo paused for a minute before having to fight himself to not smile. She couldn't reach the sink. She tried hopping for it. _I've got to stay serious for her_ he thought, taking the girl's seriousness as something really important. He walked in, looked around to find the empty wash bucket, turned it over for her and helped her crawl on top to get to the sink.

"Fank you." She said, her smile gleefully lighting up the room. He gave a small smile back, watching her clumsily wash her hands. Once she was done, she reached for the towel but she couldn't reach it. She tried hopping for it again, resulting in her frustration and a few chuckles from the navigator behind her. Deciding to take it easy on the kid, Eduardo handed her the towel and she dried her hands. Right afterwards, she grabbed the Navigator's hand and lead him out back to the deck.

"Seems like you already know your way around, kid." He commented, picking her up and walking back to the helm, putting her down near the Captain who had decided to come out of his room had get a bit of fresh air.

"Well, look at whose playing father now." Morgan teased. Eduardo sent him a short glare which surprisingly made Leah giggle in his arms.

"Captain, I'm only watching her." He grunted.

"Cap'n." Leah piped up. Both men looked at her in small shock before the older of the two broke out into a smile. "Who Cap'n?"

"I am Captain." He said, grinning at the girl and holding out his hand to her. Leah giggled and shook hands with him. Eduardo rolled his eyes and handed her to Morgan.

"If you're not doing anything, I've got to put us back on track." He said, turning towards the helm.

* * *

A few days had passed and Nathan could finally cook a decent meal while making sure Leah didn't hurt herself. Surprisingly, Eduardo had been a really big help to him that week as he was the only one who hadn't had a run in with the little girl's devilish antics. Christopher kindly said that she might not be able to stay near the herbs at her age, translating to 'she nearly got into something poisonous and we _really_ don't need a repeat of that,' and Russell, true to Eduardo's prediction, almost let the toddler fall from the crow's nest. Thomas had almost let a barrel squish her, but he was more trustworthy than the fencer. Morgan himself proved to be a very respectable and responsible guardian… when he wasn't drunk. When the full moon came and she was somehow, someway under the Captain's care, Christopher had to keep her from going overboard.

Now it was breakfast time and Nathan was proud to say that not only did Leah not get into any trouble, she was helping him out in the kitchen. He set her to sorting berries and told her if she did it diligently without eating any, he'd give her a gift. She eagerly set upon her task with such enthusiasm that Nathan couldn't help himself from smiling at the child. Soon, he had meat cooked, fruits chopped and sweetened, Eduardo's Yogurt ready to go, and the Captain's new bear freshly chilled. Then he felt a tug at his pants, and looked down to see the toddler with a bowl filled with strawberries.

Nathan looked over to the little nook table where she had been working to see all the berries he'd assigned sorted and somewhat tossed. Nathan grinned to himself, feeling pleasant surprise and a sudden rush of pride towards the toddler. He ruffled her hair and took the bowl of strawberries. Leah watched him carefully, somehow knowing that her reward was coming soon. It was comforting to know that the child had easily picked up on his body language within the first week, leading her to interact with him like the crew did, but in a much more childish fashion.

"Do you like strawberries?"

"Ahhh~ No!" The toddle gasped in awe as her eyes lit up with happiness. She absolutely adored strawberries and found it extremely hard not to eat the ripe ones she'd been sorting.

While the toddler learned to understand the chef, the chef learned to somewhat understand the toddler. He smiled kindly to her and knew she meant yes, as Leah usually did when she said no. He sugared the berries and tossed them, letting the flavors mix before handing the bowl to the toddler and grabbing a few other plates.

"Fank you Poppie!" She cried happily, making Nathan freeze as her words hit him like a ton of bricks. Poppie? He was a father figure to her? Or did she just need a name for him. Nathan shook his head and gave her a shaky smile, deciding to ask Chris about it later. He was more sensitive to these matters anyway.

Leah lead the way out of the kitchen, politely holding the door open for the chef. Nathan winced as he remembered when she let it close on him a few days ago, resulting in virtually smashing his face in the door. She rushed to the table, putting the strawberries on the top and climbing to her spot between Eduardo and Thomas. Nathan left to go grab the other plates.

"Alright kid, let's see what you learned this week." Morgan said as he laid eyes on the toddler, pointing to his nose. "What's this?"

Leah hesitated. "Nose?"

Morgan smiled at her in triumph. "And who am I?"

"Cap'n!" She cried gleefully.

"And who is that?" He asked when Nathan entered the room again, holding Russell's omelet and Eduardo's yogurt.

"Poppie!" She said, smiling at the chef. All eyes were on Nathan as he silently put down the plates and took his spot across from the little girl, his face kept as a cool mask. However, his eyes did soften somewhat when they landed on Leah's smiling face.

"Nathan, she named you?" Thomas asked, smiling at the chef.

"It's more like a term of endearment. You seem to represent a familial figure. How refreshing." Christopher said, grinning.

"Too bad the rotation is ending. Tonight, Eduardo takes her." The captain said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll watch the little ty—what the hell?!" Eduardo cried, his yell accompanied by a few startled yelps and a frightened squeal.

The Sirius had been hit. The ship was rocking and Leah was frightened into silence. A tear fell from her eye, but it seemed like she couldn't make any noise. Eduardo instantly picked her up and pressed her to his chest just as another hit came to the ship. A morbid air set upon the crew, all of them slightly angered at the interruption and the fear it caused the little girl—their little girl some thought. She'd easily wormed her way into their hearts and they'd keep her happy, damn it!

"Eduardo, you've got her. Everyone else, you know what to do." Morgan said, adrenaline pumping through his veins. The crew nodded in response, all standing and filing out of the door.

Eduardo looked down at the toddler, taking in her shivering and quietly sobbing state. He felt sick that they didn't see this coming and they didn't prepare her for it, but it had to happen sometime.

"Leah," He said, watching her head raise to meet his eyes. "Can you be brave for a good thirty minutes?"

The toddler hesitantly nodded her head. Eduardo smiled and simply said 'hold on to me' before jumping out the door and into the heat of battle.

Of course it would be Alan who he'd run smack dab into. The Rika Captain tripped backwards as he was being fought by Morgan, but not before taking in the sight of Eduardo's small bundle.

"You have a baby on board?" He asked, astonished. Leah turned to look at him, teary eyes and all, and Alan fell in love at first sight.

"Wow, what a lovely toddler. Here, come my pearl!" He said, looking expectantly at her. He was smitten. At this time however, the rest of the Rika had been tied up and forced to submit due to the Sirius's out of character ferocity. Usually it was playful banter and small fights when the Rika tried to board, but this was more serious.

"Stop!" Leah cried, cuddling herself into Eduardo's chest. The navigator narrowed his eyes as he watched the rival captain. Both crews heard the little girl's cries, all of them turning to see the bundle of tears and cuteness in the navigator's arms.

"As you can see, _Alan_, we've got a piece of precious cargo that we really don't want compromised. I suggest you board your ship and set sail—quickly." Morgan emphasized the word quickly. Alan frowned, but looked again at the baby and sighed, coming up with a smile once again.

"Don't you fret Baby girl, Daddy Alan will be back for you in no time!" The rival pirate said before dashing to his ship to create a whole new plan of attack. The rest of the Rika, confused yet utterly touched somehow, found their way out of their bonds quickly and hurried to their ship, setting sail with their captain to get as far away from the Sirius pirates as possible.

"Leah, you can look up now. You did good kid." Eduardo said, ruffling the toddler's hair. She really did do well, and he found himself to be proud of her for sticking through that as well as a three-year-old could be expected to. The rest of the crew was smiling encouragingly at the little girl, with the exception of Nathan who was a tad overly worried about her, watching her sniffle as she tried to reign in her tears.

"Why don't we go finish breakfast?" Thomas said, knowing that everyone would agree. With that, they started their day as if nothing happened, but they all knew that they'd devise some sort of plan for the little girl to hide herself when that situation would come up again. And they'd make sure the plan was damn good.


	4. In Which Women Are Attracted to Eduardo

As soon as Alan left and the crew finished their breakfast, Morgan and Eduardo went to inspect the damage done to the ship. They walked along the edge of the deck, down in the storage room, the bedrooms, and even Nathan's kitchen where the chef and toddler were cleaning up.

"She took a pretty bad hit to the left flank. We should stop for repairs." Eduardo said, watching the little girl furiously wash a fork with the wet cloth the chef handed to her.

"I need more ingredients anyway." Nathan said before giving them a glare.

"Fine, fine. We'll get out of your kitchen." Morgan chuckled, taking the hint. He ruffled Leah's hair before exiting with the navigator. Eduardo set course for the nearest port, although not their destination. He grumbled at the fact that they'd have to get there later, but he knew the Sirius needed attention.

"I don't think we'll find any news of recent shipwrecks so soon. We'll still check, however." Morgan said, catching the navigator off guard. Then he realized.

"We're not taking her to an orphanage if we don't find anything?" He asked, taking hold of the wheel.

"We can't do that until we know for sure that they've perished." Morgan said solemnly. "That, and I know most of the crew has gotten attached to her."

Eduardo didn't even try to deny it. He grumbled slightly under his breath before looking out to the horizon. "We're headed to Hakuon. They've got heavy Japanese influence, so the shipbuilders should be top rate."

Morgan nodded before smiling again. He walked towards the kitchen to go pick up the toddler and have some Cap'n and Leah bonding time.

* * *

"Alright Eduardo, you're taking her with you." Morgan said as five of the pirates stepped off the ship. Eduardo looked at him in shock before the Captain began explaining more.

"Thomas is staying behind with the ship, Christopher is headed towards the apothecaries and we don't want a repeat of what happened in the herb storage, I'm taking care of the repairs, Nathan is heading toward the town market, and we really don't need Leah anywhere near there. Plus, she needs clothes other than the nightgown she's been wearing for a week and a half." Morgan smiled at the girl who was looking around in wonder.

"And Russell? What's the kid doing that's actually important?" He asked, looking at the fencer, making him grumble in heated passion at the navigator.

"He's going with you of course. You need two people to keep an eye on the kid." Morgan said, shocking both of them. Both men looked at each other, one in annoyance and another in a baffled manner.

"Make sure to keep an eye on her down Market Street. It's gonna be a mess out there." Morgan winked then walked off towards the shipbuilder's guild. Russell felt a pat on his shoulder from Christopher and gained a nod from the chef.

"Let's go." Eduardo grumbled, picking up the toddler in his arms and walking down the path to Market Street.

"What do kids her age even wear?" Russell asked, rushing to catch up with the navigator.

"Clothes, you twit." Eduardo growled, ushering farther into the crowds. He was swerving past people so quickly that the fencer couldn't keep up, and Russell eventually lost him in the bustling streets of Hakuon.

Eduardo came up to Market Street without much incident, but he did earn some strange looks along the way. He noticed women pointing and smiling at him, Leah giggling occasionally at them. When he caught their eye, they blushed and looked down before looking back up to see if he had turned his back again. He couldn't understand their mutters, they were all talking in a foreign language.

It was only when he got to a clothing store did he find out what exactly the women had been saying. And he finally noticed he'd lost the fencer.

"Do you have anything in her size?" Eduardo asked upon entering the shop. A middle aged woman looked up at him, then her eyes landed on Leah who was nestled in his arms. Her face broke out into a smile as she walked towards the little girl and cooed at her.

"Hello little one, are you here for clothes today?" The woman asked, making the tiny child nod and giggle. Her accent was lilted and funny, but both the toddler and Eduardo could understand her "I see Otosan had good taste for what you're currently wearing. He must want a few new things since this one is so dirty."

"Otosan?" The little girl asked. The woman laughed heartily.

"You know, Otosan. Daddy, right?" The woman laughed,

"Oh, no she's not-" Eduardo tried to clear up the misconception, but the toddler cut him off.

"Otosan." She murmured before breaking out into laughter. "Otosan, Otosan, Otosan!"

Eduardo promptly put his free hand to his face in light of the child's revelation, knowing that now the damage was done, he couldn't reverse it.

"I need clothes for her to run around in. Preferably something she can get dirty."

"I just had an order canceled for a bundle of twin's clothes. She'd get two boy's outfits and two lady's dresses for the price of only two ensembles if they fit." She said, opening her arms for the girl to hop into.

"Just keep an eye on her when she's with you. She likes to get into some deep trouble." Eduardo said, fixing the toddler with a pointed look. Leah nodded at her Otosan, understanding that he wasn't going to tolerate any funny business.

The woman took the toddler behind the screen and started chattering away.

"You're the talk of the square right now. About the time you walked in with this bundle of joy, I've had about three women peak their heads in my door, and even a few window hoppers." She said.

"Why is that? Women keep staring at us wherever we go." The navigator grumbled, just as the seamstress pulled the screen back to reveal his toddler in very well fitted boy's clothes.

"Single fathers are extremely attractive. Especially when the offspring is as beautiful as this one." She said, then looked at the Navigator's shocked and panicked expression. She laughed heartily before adding "Don't worry about me. I'm married with three kids of my own."

"Right… well… the clothes fit nicely. How much for the bundle?" He asked, trying to avoid the elephant in the room.

"For this child and her Otosan, only five silver pieces." She said, grinning in that merchant way. "It's a great deal since the clothes are easily adjustable fro when she hits a growth spurt."

"Right. Here." He said, handing the woman the five silvers and picking up the toddler. She then handed him the bundle of clothes and nodded toward Leah who nodded back. Eduardo rolled his eyes before taking the toddler out of the store and into the market place.

* * *

"She said what?" Russell was laughing at Eduardo's circumstance.

"I told you. She took me for the kid's father." Eduardo said, looking at the little girl who was happily eating a fried dumpling. All the pirates had met up after they finished their business for some lunch. All of them were happy that the girl was wearing boy's clothing. They didn't want any questions about why six men were in possession of a pretty little girl. That'd take a hell of a lot of explaining.

"So, Nate's Poppie and Ed's Otosan. I wonder if she'll adopt the rest of us in the same way." Thomas said as he shared the dumplings with the toddler.

Russell snorted. "If anything, she'll call you Brother Tom."

"Hey, I can be a father figure!" Thomas cried indignantly. All of the pirates laughed, the little girl joining in. Thomas pouted a little before brightening up and joining in with the cackling men.

"We probably shouldn't be thinking of her like that anyway. We're searching for her family." Christopher said, quickly sobering up. The thought of giving the little girl back to her parents nearly demolished the happy mood.

"When I asked the shipbuilder's guild, they said they hadn't heard news of a wreck off the east coast. We may have to wait a few more months until we can be sure that she really wasn't abandoned." Morgan supplied before ruffling the little girl's hair.

"We're not dropping her at an orphanage." Nathan said simply, watching as the Captain played with the little girl.

A few of the pirates nodded in agreement. Morgan returned to the conversation, leaving Leah to entertain herself with her food.

"Well, we can't keep the kid." Russell said, leaning on his hand.

"And why not?" Thomas asked heatedly.

"Pirating ain't a life for a little girl." Eduardo said simply, yet a little somberly.

"We don't even know if her parents are really dead." Christopher supplied. "She'd be better off with her blood relatives."

Thomas huffed quietly, but he knew they were right. He turned his attention to the toddler… who was now missing?

"What in the hell?!" Thomas cried, jumping up from his seat. Leah had somehow, someway snuck off from the table while all six pirates were discussing her.

"Where did that devil go off to now?" Russell groaned, standing from his chair and swiveling around to search for the toddler.

"We'll have to split up and search for her. Hurry, before it gets too dark." Morgan said, standing himself. All the pirates nodded before rushing off to find their missing, precious cargo.

* * *

It was mid afternoon while the Navy Captain Leonardo was doing a surprise patrol on his visit to Hakuon. He was observing Market Street in all its bustling business as he strolled down its cramped path. While watching a particularly sketchy merchant peddle his wares as he walked, he bumped into something.

"OOF!" A yelp came from below him. He looked down and he saw… a little boy sprawled on the ground. A half-eaten dumpling was only a few feet away from him. The little boy, who couldn't be older than four, sat up and rubbed his face. He turned around and looked at his dumpling, tearing up and sniffling before looking up at the Naval Captain.

"Meanie!" The child cried, wiping away a few stray tears. Leonardo looked around, trying to find the kid's parents. He didn't see anyone searching for the little boy.

"Where are your parents, little one?" Leonardo asked, kneeling. The little boy glared in the most chilling way he could manage—he'd been practicing Otosan's glare when the older man wasn't looking—but he only managed to come off even cuter than usual.

"Poppie and Otosan no like meanies!" The little boy said, turning around to run away from the captain. He raised an eyebrow at the two names, but grabbed the little boy nonetheless. He was struggling and wailing, crying out things like 'Otosan help!' and 'Cap'n, meanie got me!'

"Didn't your parents teach you to recognize an officer when you saw one?" Leonardo grumbled slightly, yet he was flustered at the child's extreme reaction to him, all because of one dumpling. He stood, picking the toddler up, but holding him a few feet in front of himself as not to get hit by a stray punch or kick from the kid.

"Officer, put that little girl down!" A cry rang out over the busting street. Leonardo turned to see an older woman approaching him. She had an angry glare on her features as she came forward. "Can't you see she's completely frightened of you?"

"Girl?" Leonardo asked, completely confused now.

"Come here dear, I'll take you back to Otosan." She said, opening her arms towards the toddler who struggled out of the naval captain's grip and jumped into the seamstress's. As the child did, her cap came loose and fell off, letting her long raven hair free.

"What is a little girl doing alone, dressed as a boy on Market Street?" Leonardo asked stiffly, not pleased by missing the fact that the toddler was a girl. No wonder she was so frightened.

"Her Otosan came asking for some clothes she could get dirty. Said she liked to get into all kinds of trouble. Seems like she got away from her Otosan, so I'll go ahead and keep her in my care if he comes to my shop again." The woman sniffed haughtily at the officer, disapproving of the way he handled her. With those words, she disappeared into the crowds with the toddler in her arms and cooed softly into the girl's hair. Leonardo was completely befuddled now, choosing to end his patrol early and head back to his own ship in order to effectively evaluate what just happened

"Did that meanie Officer hurt you, dear?" The woman asked the toddler. The toddler shook her head and let out a yawn. It seemed like all the excitement had taken a lot of energy out of her.

"Oh, It seems like it's time for a nap." The woman laughed as she entered her store. The merchant laid a few yards of different scraps on the cutting table and put the toddler to rest. Leah instantly curled up and fell asleep peacefully, as if knowing she was in a secure place.

A half hour later, a man burst through her door, waking the sleeping toddler with a start. It seemed like the man had been through hell and back—his bandanna was coming undone, his skin was lined with sweat, and he looked like he was out of his mind with worry.

"Have you seen a li—"

"Poppie!" Leah cried, opening her arms to the man. The chef rushed forward and picked up the little girl, hugging her to his chest. Who knows what could have happened to her on her own for so long.

"Nate, did you find her?" A familiar, yet panicked voice wafted through the open door of the seamstress's shop. In came the man from before.

"Otosan!" The little girl yelped happily at seeing two of her six guardians. Eduardo's brow relaxed in relief at seeing the toddler safe and sound.

The seamstress who had been watching the entire exchange made a slight noise and she put two and two together.

"Oh…" Was all she said as she watched the two men check over the girl while they searched for any source of injury. Eduardo turned to the seamstress, catching her look of surprise. She said something before he could even start. "Don't you two dears worry. I get all types in my shop."

Nathan turned sharply, a light flush covering his face.

"B-but we're not—" Eudardo tried to defend.

"Now, you don't need to hide a thing. Just the other day I had a young couple of women who were together, raising a child. You have no reason to worry about me saying a word to anyone." The woman smiled. "Although, I have to say you both make such a handsome pair. What a beautiful family."

Nathan put his head in his hand, and Eduardo was spluttering out words. It didn't seem like they would be able to change the woman's opinion of them.

As the two pirates left the shop after a round of tea and embarrassing questions that neither pirates would ever be able to answer, they stood outside the door, too shell shocked to even say a thing.

"We are never talking about this again." Eduardo finally said to the chef, only earning himself a nod in agreement. Leah looked up at the navigator from her spot in the chef's arms and giggled, knowing that her adventure was over for that day, and decided to nuzzle up into Nathan's chest and continue her nap.

* * *

**Poll on my profile. Please vote for future stories.**


	5. In Which Gypsies are Bad News

A few days had passed after what the crew had begun to call the 'Hakuon Incident', and it was the night that the rotation was about to switch. This time, Leah would be watched over by Russell, not that either the chef or the navigator were happy with that development after he almost let her fall from the crow's nest.

"You gotta keep an eye on her, Rus." Eduardo warned as they watched the toddler play in the various debris along the deck. Russell was taking a short break away from his post, and mistakenly decided to spend it talking to the navigator.

"I heard you the last three times you said it. And Captain won't let me take her up there again anyway, so I have to switch jobs with Thomas for a while." Russell grumbled. Sure, he knew he messed up with the kid once, but can't they cut him a little slack. He caught her, didn't he?

"Otosan!" Leah called to the two pirates, running over in her brown trousers and red blouse that Eduardo picked up from the seamstress in Hakuon. "Look!"

She tugged on both the pirate's trousers toward the side of the deck, showing them the ocean. It seemed a team of dolphins were swimming alongside the Sirius, entertaining the little girl to no end with their squeals.

"They're dolphins, kid." Eduardo said, ruffling her hair before walking back to the ship's helm. Russell however decided to sit down next to her and watch the dolphins flit about and splash playfully in the water. He himself never got to see the creatures up close before, and began enjoying himself as he watched alongside the toddler. However, his fun was nearly ruined when he looked to his left to find that Leah had somehow, someway, gotten herself halfway off the ship and over the railing.

"Dammit Leah!" Russell cried, grabbing her before she could fall right over the side of the ship. "That's dangerous kid, what're you thinking?"

"Dolphins." Leah said exasperatedly, as if it were obvious. How could this man not know the wonder of wanting to touch a dolphin?

In response to her answer, Russell quietly put his head in his hands and let out a huge sigh, dreading the week to come. He wondered how he'd keep this idiot of a toddler alive long enough to shove her onto either Christopher or Thomas. Really, what kid doesn't have the brains to know she'd drown if she went overboard?

A little growl raised the fencer from his thoughts.

Russell looked around, finding that Leah had sat down next to him and… she was copying him. Her head was in her hands and she let out a great sigh like the fencer as if it were a game. And then the growl came again, right from the little girl's stomach. Her head popped up in confusion before looking down at her belly. She quietly put her fingers to her lips and 'shhh'ed her tummy before putting her head back down in her hands again.

Russell was dumbfounded. What was she even doing? But the shush was so serious and intense that only the word cute popped into his mind uncharacteristically. Looking at the girl, he let out a loud laugh and picked her up, surprising the toddler to no end. Was her guardian better now?

"You hungry kid? I think we can beg Nathan to make a little early lunch before I head back to the crow's nest." The fencer said before walking towards the kitchen, little girl in toe. Maybe this week wouldn't be too horrible

* * *

The toddler is a demon, Russell was sure. The night he had to take on the toddler, he had no idea what to do with her. He was going to give her his bed, but she rolled off of it and nearly crushed her head. Then, when he tried Nathan's idea with the dresser, she started crying about how hungry she was. He couldn't handle waking up again to the screams of a pretentious little girl. Until—

"What do you want this time kid?" Russell grumbled. Leah had tugged on his sleeve to wake him up. When he rolled over he got a glimpse of her tear streaked face, but this wasn't the same as he'd seen before.

"Bad man got me…" She said, sniffing. A couple more tears rolled down her chubby face. "Don't let bad man take me away."

Russell was stunned. That had to have been the longest sentence he'd ever heard the toddler utter. It was obvious that his precious cargo had a nightmare that shocked her out of her silence. Russell's eyes softened as he looked at the terrified little girl.

"Alright, how about you sleep with me tonight?" Russell said, picking her up and putting her on the sheets shifting over to make room for her. Leah blinked a few tears away before launching herself at the fencer, arms swung around his neck and wet face cradled in his throat.

"Shh. There's no bad man here. I won't let the bad man take you away." Russell murmured to the crying toddler. He whispered this mantra to the child over and over, letting the rumble of his voice lull the little girl to sleep again. When he heard the crying stop and felt her breathing even out, Russell laid back down and cradled his toddler in the crook of his arm.

And the two fell asleep like that, Leah cuddled into her guardian's side and Russell curled protectively around his charge.

* * *

"Where's Russell? It's not like him to sleep right through breakfast." Thomas wondered as he left the mess room. He decided to check up on the fencer, quietly rushing down the stairs. When he reached the door, he knocked quietly. No answer. The cabin boy quietly opened the door to be face with—

"Wait till I tell Captain." He grinned, running off to his post.

Leah, however, had other plans. She woke up and rubbed her eyes drowsily before looking down at her guardian. She was hungry, so she shook his arm with all her might to wake him up.

Russell opened his eyes to find Leah with a perturbed look on her face, long black hair tangled into bedhead, and eyes slightly bloodshot from crying so much last night. She opened her mouth with a yawn before speaking to him.

"Need to eat." Was all she said as she pulled on his sleeve. He got up and followed the little girl's whims. It was when they reached the deck that Russell swept her into his arms and he hurried to the kitchen. He plopped her down at the table in the mess room and walked over to the door.

"Nate, the kid needs to eat." He said. The chef emerged quickly with a bowl of sweet fruits for the girl and an omelet for the fencer, setting them out on the table. His eyes narrowed as he took in the toddler's appearance.

"What happened?" He asked coolly, looking at the chef.

"The kid had a nightmare about some bad man and—" a large strawberry smacked the fencer right in the head.

"NO!" The toddler screamed, shocking both the fencer and the chef. "NO BAD MAN!"

Nathan looked at Russell of some explanation, but the fencer had none. Both of them worriedly looked back to the frightened little girl with strikingly good aim. Then—

"Go get Christopher." Nathan said, sitting down at the table and fixing the girl with a calm gaze and pointedly gesturing to the fruit. She reluctantly went back to eating, a few stray tears falling from her face.

The fencer came back quickly with the doctor in tow, not really knowing what he should have told him about the little girl's situation.

"When did you first hear about this bad man?" He asked both of the other pirates before promptly getting smacked in the face with a piece of cantaloupe.

"NO BAD MAN!" Leah wailed out, shivering. Christopher was completely startled at the toddler's complete turn of personality. He's never seen her get so violent or loud.

"She started muttering about… you know who last night. She woke me up crying about that, saying he caught her and was going to take her away." Russell said, looking down at the toddler.

"And how did you calm her down?" Christopher asked.

"She was crying so much, and she was clinging to me, so I told her I wouldn't let the bad man take her away. She fell asleep hanging on my neck." Russell said, scratching the back of his head. "I told her he wasn't real."

"I see. It could be the late reaction to some form of trauma. I'll ask Eduardo about it. Russell, try and keep her calm." Christopher said before rushing off to find Eduardo.

Leah was still looking shakily at the other two pirates in fear that they'd take her to the bad man. They wouldn't, would they? Poppie and her guardian wouldn't let the bad man take her away, right? Leah didn't know what to think, her fear was taking over again and she didn't know what to do.

"Leah, you need to eat, okay? The bad man isn't here, so you need to eat." Russell said soothingly, surprising the chef. He sat down next to the little girl and started to eat his omelet, hoping the toddler would follow suit.

Leah looked at him for a few moments, watching him eat and thinking over his words. He said them before last night. Her guardians wouldn't let the bad man take her away. Neither would Poppie or Otosan. She was okay, she was safe.

Both Nathan and Russell let out sighs of relief once they saw the little girl take a bite out of a piece of banana. It seemed she was alright enough to eat. They wondered what kind of trauma she'd been through as she'd never acted so scared around any of the crew members before. It must've happened at Hakuon.

It was then that Christopher came quietly back into the mess room and sat down on the toddler's other side, fixing her with a kind smile much like a pediatrician would. Leah gave a shaky smile back.

"Leah, can you tell me what the bad man looks like?" Christopher asked softly.

Leah's smile dropped.

"Please, we're worried about you." Christopher said.

"Bad man, mean man. Mean man take me away from Otosan." Leah said, trying not to cry again. "I don't like mean man."

"Just as I thought." Christopher said, a little anger boiling in his chest before he calmed himself to ask the girl a few more questions. "Leah, did the bad man wear a black and gold suit. Did he have glasses?"

A few tears rolled down the toddler's face. She nodded and whimpered out "Please don't let bad man take me away."

"Christopher, who is he? Why is she so scared of him?" Russell ground out, definitely not okay with watching the little girl struggle through her tears.

"Eduardo said that he found her with the seamstress in Hakuon, she told him what happened while we weren't there. Apparently she ran into a Naval Captain who was going to take her away to his base. He thought she was lost, but he handled her poorly in a frightened state. The seamstress who took her away from him said that the captain was holding her away from his body, as if he were going to drop her. This had to have triggered the late trauma accompanied by a slightly new environment." Christopher concluded. "This Captain, however, happened to be Leonardo."

"That rat bastard?" Russell growled at the same time that Nathan's eyes darkened. Leonardo, the Captain that had been obsessed with capturing pirates—the Sirius in particular—had dared to traumatize their little girl. There was going to be some punishment, that was for sure.

"Russell, language. And none of us are happy about this development, but we're going to have to deal with this later. The gypsy ship we're meeting with is within sight. Once the trade is done, we can focus on Leah." Christopher said, ruffling the little girl's hair fondly. "The bad man won't get you here. We won't let the bad man anywhere near you, so there's no need to cry."

The toddler looked up into the doctor's eyes, sniffling a little bit before answering.

"No bad man?" She asked.

"Nope." Christopher answered. The pure relief that washed over the little girl's face was like art to all the pirates in the room. It was such a drastic, wonderful change from her screaming, frightened self that none of the pirates had the heart to tell her that she might see Leonardo again.

It was then that Thomas burst into the room.

"The gypsies are here." He said. "Captain wants everyone on deck to meet them."

All the pirates nodded, Russell picking up the toddler and holding her close so she wouldn't wriggle away and cause the other crew any problems.

As they exited the mess room, they saw their deck littered with dancing and laughing people. Their clothing was bright and flowing, their movements were languid and graceful, and their music was loud and fast.

"Captain is negotiating with the gypsy captain." Thomas informed, scratching his head. "And he's decide he's having a party to greet them."

Nathan grumbled something under his breath before turning around to return to the kitchen to prepare half the feast for the gypsies. The gypsy crew's chef would just have to cover the other half.

"I'll go tell Eduardo about Leah's trauma." Christopher sighed before walking into the mass.

"I've gotta get back to the crow's nest." Thomas said, rushing off.

Russell was about to head to the store room when he was stopped by a gypsy women.

"Oh look, a baby. What a beautiful girl, she obviously takes after her Babac." The woman said. She was a thin lady, clothed in a white blouse and a deep purple skirt, a gold ring adorning her ear and a gold circlet around her ankle. She went barefoot around the deck, and she was leading around her own child, a boy around seven years old.

"Babac?" Leah asked curiously. Russell knew what was coming, and he tried to intervene, but he couldn't beet the gypsy woman to the punch.

"Oh, right. It means father in your language." The gypsy woman giggled. "This is my son Stefan. Why don't you two play together?"

"Okay." The little boy said enthusiastically, looking up at the little girl through his long bangs. "What's your name?"

The little girl seemed fazed for a few seconds, as if trying to figure you her name, before smiling in answer.

"Leah."

"I don't know if this is a good idea. She has this habit of getting into a lot of trouble." Russell said.

"Oh, don't mind that. The entire family watches over the littler ones. They can never get into any trouble with so many of us around." The gypsy woman said.

Leah struggled free of Russell's arms and landed onto the deck with a thump before running off with the gypsy boy. She addressed her guardian with a comment over her shoulder.

"Bye Babac!" She cried, running after the older boy. Russell rolled his eyes, but he decided to trust the gypsies. If the captain trusted them to be on his ship, surely he could trust them to watch the toddler.

* * *

"Bye Leah. Let's play again sometime!" Stefan yelled from the departing gypsy ship.

"Bye Fan-fan!" Leah yelled, waving her tiny arm in goodbye.

The trade had been a success and the party lasted well into the night. Russell watched as the little girl and the gypsy boy became fast friends, running around, playing games and causing havoc. The boy really helped take her mind off her nightmare, but it didn't sit well with the pirates.

"That kid's trouble." Eduardo said, taking to the wheel.

Nathan didn't want to think of what the boy might mean later on if the little girl did stay with the crew.

"Who does that kid even think he is?" Russell grumbled.

"It seems we'll have to keep a close eye on Stefan if we're going to have good relations with the gypsies." Christopher said, a smile on his face accompanied with cold eyes.

"I thought they were cute playing together." Thomas said, watching the toddler wave at the receding ship.

"That's exactly the problem." Morgan said, throwing back another chug of bear.

The little girl ran up to the pirates with a giant smile spread over her face, nearly erasing all the bad thoughts form their minds.

"Cap'n, gypsies are fun!" She said, looking up at Morgan with intense, joy-filed eyes.

"And who do you have to thank for being able to play with them today?" He asked, gesturing to the fencer.

"Thank you Babac!" She smiled, catching the crew off guard before Morgan threw his head back in a heartily laugh.

"So she adopted you too?!"

"It means father in Romanian. How sweet." Christopher grinned, knowing that she'd adopt all of them if she had her way.

"So, it's Poppie, Otosan, and Babac. I wonder whose getting adopted next." Thomas sighed.

"This isn't a good thing. What if she gets too attached?" Eduardo asked. His comment made the mood drop considerably.

"We still don't have any leads on her family." Nathan said.

"The gypsies said there was a shipwreck around the area we picked her up." Morgan said. "It was headed for Baltier."

"Do you think she has relatives there?" Christopher asked.

"It's the only lead we've got." Morgan said.

"What a coincidence. That's where we were headed as well." Eduardo said, turning back to the wheel.

Morgan looked back down at the toddler who was tiredly leaning on his knee, the day's excitement finally catching up to her.

"Alright little girl, I think it's time for Babac to put you to bed." Morgan chided, brushing back her black hair.

"Okay Cap'n." Leah said, walking lazily over to Russell. She tugged on his trouser leg, looking up at him and said "Bedtime, Babac."

"Right, c'mon kid." Russell said, picking her up and walking back to his cabin. He hoped it would be a peaceful night for her this time.

* * *

**Happy start of summer. Please vote on the poll that's on my profile for future story ideas. Special notice on my profile.**


	6. In Which Leah Scares the Pirates

A few nights passed since the toddler's nightmares started to plague her sleep. Russell was all parts annoyed and all parts worried. He didn't know what to do with the little girl. He tried to hold her and assure her that the bad man wasn't anywhere near the ship. Finally, the child was able to sleep through the night, but only fitfully. While Russell was glad, he wondered how long until she'd be her old self.

"Leah, we need to get up." Russell said, nudging the little bundle of kid in his arms. The toddler refused to sleep anywhere but with him, thinking she was safer at his side rather than a few feet away.

"Hungry, Babac?" Leah asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah, real hungry. Let's go get Nate to make us something." The fencer grinned at his charge.

"Poppie hungry?" Leah asked, hopping from the bed and grabbing another set of clothes.

Russell and the other pirates didn't understand her strange habits. She always wore a different outfit every other day and switched clothes to sleep in and to wear out. Christopher explained that she must've picked it up before she came to stay with the pirates.

"Yeah, that's why he'll be making breakfast, so let's hurry." Russell said as he left the room to give the toddler her privacy, but waited until she needed him again.

While she was only a kid, all the pirates respected that she was a little girl, so she needed her own privacy. If not now, then later when she was older. Russell knew he, along with the other pirates, was being optimistic in thinking they'd be able to invite the little girl into their crew. They also knew that raising a child, a little girl of all things, with their lifestyle wouldn't be the smartest thing for their future, or hers.

"Babac, leggo" Leah said, coming out of the room with a smile. However, when she held out her hand to him, she held the red ribbon that came with her new clothes.

Russell had no idea what she wanted him to do, so he took the ribbon from her. The toddler turned around and waited patiently until Russel finally understood. She wanted him to tie her hair back. Russell rolled his eyes slightly before grabbing hunks of her dark hair and haphazardly tying it behind her tiny head. With that done, both of them walked to the mess room to find nearly the entire crew sitting at the table.

"She keep you late?" Eduardo asked, no grin on his face but a smile in his eyes as the toddler walked up to him.

"Otosan hungry?" She asked, climbing into the seat next to him.

"Of course. Are you hungry?" Eduardo asked gruffly, teasing the small child.

"Yeah!" Leah cried happily.

"That's yes sir, little lady." Morgan scolded, making the little girl grin sheepishly and all the other pirates look at him questioningly. "What? If we're returning her, we might as well return her with manners."

And they all knew that was a complete lie.

"Yes sir." Leah corrected herself. Morgan grinned, reaching over the table to ruffle her hair before laughing.

"What did you do to her, Russell? Can't even tie a proper knot?" Morgan grinned, looking at the fencer's handiwork atop the toddler's head. It looked like her head had been attacked by a vicious beast and not a pirate trying to tie hair out of the way.

"Come here Leah, let me teach you how to fix it." Christopher smiled. Leah hopped from her spot and crossed the other side of the table just as Nathan exited the kitchen. He took one look at Leah, shook his head, and then gave a look to Russell that said '_really?_'

"Oh, you try to tie up a little girl's hair and see how you do." Russell grumbled. However, Nathan grinned in a smug fashion. He had already tied her hair up, and he did it much better than the fencer.

In the meantime, Christopher had tied the toddler's hair into a ponytail atop her tiny head, the knot pulled into a pretty bow. It bounced slightly as the little girl walked around, and she grinned at the Doctor in thanks. Russell's attempt had really hurt her head.

"So, Captain, how long until we dock at Baltier?" Thomas asked, piping up after watching the pirate's display.

"It's a few week's trip." Eduardo commented.

"We'll need supplies." Nathan added.

"We'll be stopping at a few ports along the way. Ultimately, we'll have finished our rotation by the time we get there." Morgan said.

"So, six weeks at the most?" Christopher asked.

"Sounds about right." Eduardo grunted. "With no setbacks we should get there in four."

"Poppie, help?" Leah tugged on the chef's trouser leg from where she was standing. A warm look passed over Nathan's features when he realized the little girl was trying to help him out.

"There's a bowl on the counter. Go bring it out." The chef said to the toddler.

Leah nodded and ran into the kitchen to find that bowl while all the other pirates discussed their next move. Or she would have, had the ship not taken a hit from the right flank. The toddler toppled to the ground with the force of the impact.

"If that's Alan, I swear—" Morgan grumbled, stepping angrily out of the mess room, followed by Eduardo, Russell, Nathan, and Thomas. Christopher, the first to rush to the toddler, stayed behind and helped her to her feet.

"Are you alright, Leah?" He asked, watching the toddler shakily brush off her trousers.

"Meanie Alan here?" She asked the doctor, surprising him. It was a drastic change from the last time they got into a skirmish with the Rika. While still shaky, the little girl was somewhat composed.

"I don't know. Would you like to go see?" Christopher asked, holding out his hand for the toddler to take.

Leah nodded, grabbing the pirate's hand. Christopher slowly opened the door and stepped out first, just in case it was the Navy boarding. Then he let the little girl walk out on the deck to view the scene before them.

"I'm telling you, Leah is not going anywhere." Morgan growled at the Rika captain.

"Why don't we ask her then?!" Alan shouted back, noticing the little girl's presence on deck. "What do you say, my little flower. Would you like to stay with Daddy Alan?"

With all the attention on her, from both the Rika—who was half tied up and half still fighting—and the Sirius—who were all on bated breath wondering what the toddler would do—Leah hid behind Christopher's leg in embarrassment.

"Go away." Leah muttered loud enough for all to hear.

"You heard her Captain Alan. Time for you to get off my ship." Mogan grinned triumphantly.

"Aww, she doesn't mean it. She's only… what, three?" Alan sighed, still adoring the cute little girl that he absolutely had to spoil to no end.

"Yeah, three and able to know who can actually take care of her." Thomas cried.

And with that, the fighting broke out again.

"Leah, do you remember what Otosan and Cap'n told you to do when this happened?" Christopher asked the toddler. Leah nodded. "Go do that now."

Leah nodded and rushed off toward the bedrooms, unbeknownst to the Rika. She rushed into Otosan's cabin, grabbed the blanket from his bed, and huddled underneath it with the blanket wrapped around her frame. After a few moments, feet padded into the room, but the toddler could still hear the fighting on deck. She caught a glimpse of brown boots and fat, milky white thighs.

"Where could that kid be? It's not like she could get away so quickly." Leah heard the person in the room talk to themselves. The voice was female and lilted slightly with that accent that all her guardians had. Was she with the meanie Alan?

"I should check the other rooms just in case. It's not like she's smart enough to choose the middle room anyway. She must be in the first room." The voice said. Then the boots and thighs left the room.

Meanwhile, on deck, the Sirius crew had finished fighting the Rika and forcing them on board their ship. However, Eduardo noticed one of their crew members missing. He then rushed down to where the toddler was hiding, running into the larger woman in the hallway.

"Your crew is leaving. I suggest you go with them." The navigator said, pulling out a pistol and pointing it at the woman. Fuzzy was frightened, half of her wanted to complete Alan's orders and half of her wanted to get the hell out of there. She decided to rush around him and head back to her crew, but not before accosting her dear Russell.

Once the woman left earshot, he barged into Nathan's room and looked underneath the bed… Leah wasn't there. Eduardo's heart dropped suddenly, but he tried to keep his cool. He entered the other rooms, wondering if she'd gotten the doors confused and wandered into the wrong cabin. She wasn't in any of them.

"Captain, we have a problem!" Eduardo yelled, bursting onto the deck. "I can't find the kid."

Wanting to know exactly what happened, all the pirates dropped what they were doing and rushed to the navigator. They saw the panic that had been pushed down in the marksman's eyes, and were all on alert as they started sweeping the ship for their precious cargo. Nathan went for the kitchen to check if she'd gone there to hide, Russel and Thomas went to check over the rooms again, Eduardo and Morgan went to check the mess room and Captain's cabin. Leah was nowhere to be found. Their panic kept building as their search kept coming up empty.

It was Christopher who finally set the pirate's worries at ease.

The ship's doctor was sifting through the storage room. He thought that she may have chosen new hiding spot since Fuzzy had almost discovered her. He popped open lids and opened bags. It was when he heard a quiet sneeze that brought him to the back of the storage room that he found the toddler. He looked up to a hanging bag of apples… where Leah was currently residing. She had her eyes screwed shut, and her breathing quieted just like Thomas had taught her. Christopher let out a giant sigh of relief before unhooking the bag and taking out the toddler, who squealed when she dropped. Christopher set her on the floor and crossed his arms.

"Gone?" The toddler asked. Christopher set her with a steely, disapproving look that Leah shrunk behind. Had she done something wrong?

"Leah, why weren't you in your hiding spot like I told you to be?" Christopher asked, a slight bit of anger in his voice.

"Lady was looking for me." She answered in a squeak.

"Did she check under the beds for you?"

"No."

"No what?"

"No sir."

"Then why did you decide it was safe to leave when she was still looking for you? Why did you think it was safe to leave when bad people were still on deck?"

The toddler didn't have an answer and looked down. Really, she thought it was a good idea at the time. Christopher shook his head at her answers.

"Come on, we need to tell everyone else that you haven't been abducted by Alan and then we'll figure out what we're going to do with you." Christopher said, still keeping the edge in his voice. Leah had him scared there for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Leah said, looking at him. And then Christopher let out another sigh and picked her up from the ground, balanced her on his hip, and looked her in the eye.

"Leah, you scared us today. We were all searching high and low for you. Next time, stay put like we told you." Christopher said, finally losing his steely tone but still maintaining his firm voice.

"Yes sir." Leah nodded

With toddler securely in his arms, the doctor exited the storage room and onto the deck where the others were. All of them had expressions of relief painted across their faces as the doctor came closer to them.

"Leah, what do you say?" Christopher asked her, putting her down on the deck.

"I'm sorry for scaring you." She said with the expression of childish guilt and remorse layered across her face.

"Next time stay in your hiding spot, kid." Eduardo ground out, though he found it hard to stay strict with the kid.

"Don't you ever pull anything like that again." Russell said.

"We were really worried about you. Don't scare us to death again." Morgan said.

What none of the pirates registered was that they all said their parts exactly at the same time and confused the toddler. After a few seconds of silence and panicked thinking, she opted for the safest answer.

"Yes sirs." The said quietly, still feeling so guilty about worrying her guardians. Thomas didn't feel like he was able to say anything out of pure relief, so Nathan was the last one who had anything to say.

"Leah." He said, his voice laced with both relief and anger.

"Yes sir?" She asked, remembering this tone of voice from her first weak on board.

"Room."

Leah nodded. The other pirates found themselves shocked at the chef, but none of them made a move to contradict him. They knew he was right by sending her back to the cabins to sit and think about what she'd done.

Leah walked back to the cabins but found that she couldn't open the door. She could push from the inside, but she wasn't tall enough pull from the outside. She wanted to asked for help but she didn't know if she'd be able to. All her guardians were so upset with her and she didn't want to trouble them further. She opted to use her emergancy method of opening the door.

The toddler dragged an empty, wooden box that once held rope to the door and flipped it over. She stood on top of it, reached for the handled, and pulled with all her strength, nudging the heavy door open. With that done, she held the door while grabbing the box and carried it to the cabin with her.

"So that's how she does it." Thomas mused.

"The kid's smart. She knew she'd need a way into the cabins if there was an emergency." Eduardo said, a small grin on his face at her actions.

"This is an emergency?" Russell asked.

"It might be to her. Since we're supposedly upset with her, she might not have wanted to bother us further." Christopher said.

"That or she didn't think we would help her. Or a mixture of both." Morgan sighed, his face devoid of a smile for once. "That's parenting though. You've got to discipline her to make sure she doesn't get herself killed later on."

"Parenting." Nathan muttered. He felt awful for having to send the child away.

"You had to do it Nate. She wouldn't learn otherwise." Morgan said.

"I wonder at that. She looked so guilty and sorry when she apologized, I wonder if that was enough or a little overboard?" Thomas said. Everyone except Nathan sent him a glare. "What?!"

Nathan silently left the crew and went down to the kitchen, wanting to be alone for a little while. Eduardo, feeling equally as guilty, set toward the wheel of the ship. Russell went toward the crow's nest and Thomas set towards the storage room. Christopher and Morgan shared a look before both going off on their own, the doctor to his practice and the captain to his cabin.

* * *

**Sorry about the late update, I've been on a serious opera and piano kick. Anyway,**_ poll on my page for following stories_** and I should be **_back on my weekly update schedule_** now.**


	7. In Which the Ship is Righted Again

Leah found herself in the chef's room twiddling her thumbs and not doing much of anything. It had seemed like hours since she was sent there, and she'd spent most of that time thinking about what she'd done wrong. Of course she shouldn't have moved because one of her guardians would come find her. She worried them very much, but she'd said sorry and she didn't know what else to do.

After another couple minutes, the toddler let out a sigh and laid down on the bed. She yawned a great yawn and bunched up the sheets to make herself comfortable. When she closed her eyes, she dozed off into a light sleep as the ship rocked her away to sweet dreams.

The navigator looked at the sun, guessing at the time the toddler must have spent cooped up in Nathan's room. It'd probably been over two hours, but none of them had gone to check up on her. He called over to the apprentice on board.

"Oi, go check on the kid." He grunted over the sloshing of the waves. Thomas nodded and went below deck to go see their precious cargo. He checked Nathan's room first, somehow knowing he'd find her there, and he almost fainted at the sight before him. There the toddler was, curled up on her Poppie's bed with the sheets drawn up in her arms like a teddy bear would be. She was sound asleep and Thomas didn't want to disturb the scene before him knowing full well that she hadn't been sleeping properly because of her nightmares.

Thomas ran back on deck to report to the navigator.

"She's asleep." He said, grinning at Eduardo.

"What're you so happy about?" He asked, mood still foul after scolding the little girl.

"You'd have to see it." Thomas said, turning around and heading back to his chores. Curious, Eduardo found himself venturing down to see the little girl, only to quickly shut the door and go back to the helm of the ship where he found the captain.

"What are you so chipper about?" Morgan asked, curious as to why the air around the navigator seemed to have brightened considerably.

It was true. After seeing the little girl finally sleeping peacefully, Eduardo found himself incredibly calmed. It was like a small weight was lifted from his shoulders.

"The kid is taking a nap." Eduardo said.

"Finally? I thought she'd never sleep during the daytime." Morgan said, the smile slowly returning to his face. It was then that the Captain decided to go see what exactly made the navigator lighten up so much. He traversed down to the cabins, popping into Nathan's to find the little girl in just the same way that Eduardo and Thomas had found her—positively tangled in the Chef's sheets and slumbering peacefully.

"You're supposed to be thinking about what you did wrong, young lady." Morgan whispered with a hint of laughter in his voice. "Oh well."

With that, the captain returned to deck, jovial mood back in full swing as he ran into Russell. The fencer had just come down from the crow's nest on his break, and was headed to the kitchen to try and persuade Nathan that a snack was not going to ruin his dinner. However, Russell stooped in his tracks when he saw Morgan's huge grin.

"What are you smiling about?" He grumbled, still upset over that morning's events.

"Leah's napping. You should go check on her." Morgan stated, then walked right past the fencer in to his private cabin.

Russell, a little confused at first, walked to Nathan's cabin, only to emerge with his mood considerably brightened. Their little girl—when he'd started thinking of her as theirs was beyond him—was finally sleeping soundly without tears or crying because of her nightmares. He felt like the world had been lifted from his shoulders when he saw that his precious cargo was going to recover from her bout of trauma. But that also didn't deter the fact that she was sleeping away her punishment.

Christopher happened to be on deck when Russell came out. He wasn't paying attention to Russell, only noticing him when the fencer passed on his way to the crow's nest.

"Leah's asleep." He stated, walking past him in his rush to his post. He'd spent way to much time just watching the little girl napping away.

Christopher, a little confused as to what he meant and also curious about how the fencer could be so happy since that morning, went down to go check on the toddler. He found her in a slightly different position. Yes, she was still tangled in the sheets, but she was also rolled over onto her back, arms askew and eyes firmly held shut. The heavy breathing coming from her tiny form was only a testament to how far gone the child was.

Christopher almost laughed at the sight. While he was upset with her for sleeping away her punishment, he was happy that she felt safe enough on that ship to still sleep. He's worried that they'd broken some kind of trust with her, something that would've taken so much time to rebuild. And on top of that, it seemed like she'd gotten over her trauma.

Christopher shut the door, walking on deck with ore spring in his step than before. Not an hour later, it was time for lunch. All the pirates gathered in the mess room, waiting for Nathan to bring out their meals. Nathan entered the room, his mood the only one that was still effected by that morning's events. Morgan, the first one to notice, only grinned harder.

"Where's Leah?" Nathan asked.

"She's probably still in the cabins. You should go grab her Nate, we've all already checked on her." Morgan said.

Not one to argue with the captain, Nathan went to go get the toddler for lunch. As much as he dreaded the meeting, he needed to see if she was upset with him or if she was afraid of him. After all, it was the first time any of them had reprimanded her for something she'd done. The chef nearly fell over with relief when he saw that the toddler was sleeping.

The chef walked into the room and knelt down to see her sleeping face, only to feel a smile spread across his own. _Only you_, he thought.

It was then that the toddler started to stir, rolling back onto her side and letting out a big yawn. Nathan's smile only grew.

"C'mon kid, it's time to get up." The chef said, grabbing her shoulder.

Leah opened her eyes to find her Poppie standing there, and that ugly sense of guilt twisted in her stomach again. She sat up and looked at him, although her eyes were still half lidded with sleep and her voice was slurred with it.

"M'sorry Poppie." She said. "M'really Sorry."

"I know kid. I forgive you, just promise me you won't do it again." The chef said, looking Leah straight in the eyes, as if trying to see into her very soul.

"I promise." She said sincerely, making Nathan smile again.

"Alright then. Get up then, it's time for lunch." He said, taking her hand and leading her to the mess room where all her guardians sat.

And like that, everything was put right on the ship.

* * *

"Okay, if you're going to be staying with me this week, you have to understand that these herbs are dangerous."

"Yes sir."

"And you can't get into them."

"Yes sir."

"Promise me you won't touch the herbs."

"I promise."

"Alright then." Christopher said.

The doctor was currently warning the toddler against all of the dangers that came with his herb storage, something that she's already been acquainted with. He could remember her messing with a less poisonous strain of nightshade when he'd been watching her, and he always shuddered at the thought.

A day had passed since Alan's last visit and it was time for another rotation where the toddler would be staying with the doctor. At this point in time, all the pirates were on edge, knowing how dangerous her stay would be. However, they also knew how careful Christopher would be with the little girl, and their fears would slightly subside.

"Alright Leah, I'm going to teach you a few things about these herbs so you understand why you can't play with some of them." Christopher said, smiling at the little girl.

With that, the doctor started teaching her about all the names of the herbs and their various treatments, quizzing her every so often just to make sure she remembered all of them. He noted the small girl's aptitude for the memorization and offhandedly wondered how well she'd perform as a doctor herself when she got older.

And he stopped himself there. She wouldn't be staying with them, he had to remember that. As time passed and the little girl integrated herself more and more into their lives, he found it harder to think of a future without her on board. He would forget that within two week's time, she wouldn't be there with them.

"You okay?"

The toddler's words brought the doctor out of his trance. He looked down at her, taking in her curious gaze and eager demeanor. They'd really have to give up their precious cargo. He wished they'd had more time with her.

"Yes Leah, I'm fine. Now, what does sage accomplish?"

* * *

It was dark now, and both the little girl and the doctor were getting ready for bed. Christopher, taking this chance to observe the toddler's sleeping habits, found nothing out of the ordinary. He didn't think he could rule out any trauma induced nightmares just yet, but he was hoping that they were on the last stretch of her recovery.

"Good night!" Leah said, curling up in Christopher's dresser, almost already snoring away.

"Good night." The doctor answered back softly. Christopher kept a single lamp lowly lit in the room, staying awake longer to write a few things down about his inventory. He watched as the crew's precious cargo slept more soundly than she had in the past week, and he let out a sigh of relief, closing the inventory book.

He lay on his own bed, taking the lamp and one last look at the toddler.

"Sleep well, little one."

With those words, the doctor blew out the lamp and hoped for a peaceful night for the both of them.

* * *

**Sorry for the late update, junior year is way more hectic than I thought it would be (Literally taking college classes.) ANyway, my update rate should be slowing down, but chapter will be put up-dont worry.**

**As for me, there's this _POLL ON MY PAGE_** **that I would really appreciate you voting on. Have a wonderful week.**


	8. In Which Leah Learns Medey-sin Stuff

The night passed peacefully for both the toddler and doctor. In fact it went almost too well, as Christopher soon found himself rudely awoken by a tiny bundle of energy.

"C'mon, C'mon!" The toddler laughed, pulling on the doctor's sleeves. Christopher, who was turned away from the toddler, opened his eyes to the wall. Then he realized what was going on, however, he couldn't find it in himself to hold his smile back. She really did have little kid tendencies.

"C'mon, we gotta do stuff. Medey-sin stuff!" Leah said, climbing up onto the bed and jumping up and down, as if that would make the doctor wake up even faster. Christopher was downright tickled. The little girl had taken such a liking to the herbs, maybe even his line of work, and the first thing she wanted to do in the morning was learn more?

And just like that, Christopher flipped over, grabbed the toddler, and promptly started tickling her. The little girl squealed in laughter, squirming to get away from her attacker. Once Christophe stopped, he picked her up and balanced her on his hip.

"You really want to learn more about the herb storage?" He asked, noting how the girl's smile widened further. Leah nodded so vigorously, Christopher thought she was going to give herself whiplash. "Alright, but first we have to go eat breakfast. Poppie wouldn't like it if you just started skipping meals."

"Let's go!" Leah cried, struggling out of Christopher's arms and running to the mess room, leaving the doctor chuckling before following the overzealous child.

Christopher walked into the messroom, noting the brightened atmosphere that seemed to follow the toddler everywhere she went. She was avidly talking to Captain Morgan about how Christopher was teaching her about 'medey-sin stuff'. She'd never been so enthusiastic and talkative before, but the Captain absolutely adored how taken the child was and how she'd found something that she absolutely adored. He kept up with her conversation so well that it seemed like it came natural to him.

"So, Christopher's teaching you medicine?" Moran asked, grinning.

"Yes sir, medey-sin." She said, smiling so widely both pirates in the room thought her cheeks would burst.

"Did you thank him for that?"

"Oh-no!" the little toddler cried, looking around wildly for the doctor.

Morgan had taken it upon himself to teach the toddler manners while she was with them, so she wouldn't go back to her family with the antics or mouth of a sailor. It happened to be one of his favorite pastimes, especially when the toddler got so serious about doing these things right.

Once her gaze did land on the doctor, she sprinted toward him, in what little space there was in the room, barreling into his legs. Christopher stood his ground, laughing heartily at Leah's actions.

"Thank you for teaching me medey-sin stuff!" The girl cried with a smile.

"What's all this noise about?" Nathan said, coming into the room in an annoyed fashion, but dropping the attitude when he spotted that the commotion was all due to their toddler.

"Poppie, guess what!" The toddler cried. Both Christopher and Morgan were laughing about how she was still going on about her newest obsession.

"What?" Nathan asked, walking into the room with a plate full of eggs, an appetizer of sorts.

"I'm learning Medey-sin stuff!" Leah said proudly, grinning ear to ear. Nathan stopped at her declaration.

The little girl was learning about medicine? Wasn't that dangerous? Nathan's mind raced back to the day that Leah had gotten into the more poisonous herbs and almost ate them. He almost shuddered thinking about what could have happened had his little girl actually gotten sick—wait, his little girl?

Christopher caught the Chef's look of concern before smiling at his worried face.

"Don't worry _Poppie_, she's not getting into anything dangerous. All the poisonous herbs were stored away before she entered the room." Christopher said, easing the pirate's fear and turning his mind away from his own slip of thought.

The door to the mess room burst open.

"Captain, we've got a shipwrecked man off starboard!" Thomas cried hurriedly, anxious and worried. "Ed and Russ are pulling him up now, but he doesn't look so good!"

"Doc." Morgan said gravely.

"On it." He stated, already moving to take care. "Leah stay here, we don't know if he has any diseases you should be around."

With that, all the pirates moved out of the room to take care of the survivor. Leah, knowing she had to obey, sat in a huff while grabbing a handful of appetizing eggs to snack on. Then it hit her- she could listen to their conversation, she just didn't have to be anywhere near the survivor. She was a smart toddler indeed.

Leah went into the kitchen and opened the smoke vent that let out all of the dirty air that would clutter the kitchen when it her Poppie was cooking. He would open it to let smoke out, and close it as to not let the salty sea air come in and ruin his freshly prepared meats and whatnot. When she opened the vent, she could hear bits and pieces of the conversation, but she had to strain for it.

"…._attacked by…no survivors."_

_ "…__..sick from….treat with yarr… other ship…"_

_ "__Not that… c'est la vie, monsieu… treasure…"_

_ "__She had… couldn't get wet…" _

_ "…__Keep you… where were…. On our…"_

_ "__Town next… Baltier…. riches."_

_ "__Welc…aboard."_

"What the hell, Leah!?" A cry came from behind the toddler.

Russell was told to come in and check on the little girl over the course of the conversation. He fully expected to find her sitting patiently but also a tad annoyed in the mess room. When she wasn't there, he thought she had moved into the kitchen. What he saw almost gave him a heart attack.

Leah, in her attempt to get a better vantage point for the conversation had crawled almost entirely into the vent hatch, leaving only her tiny legs sticking out. Russell knew that if the vent had shut at any time, it would have cut the toddler cleanly in half. He swiped her out of the vent so quickly, soot came pouring out of it. The toddler was already covered with the black stuff and Russell silently thanked every deity he knew for her wearing her play clothes. And then he thought how strange his thoughts were. Why should he care if she got her nicer clothes dirty?

_Because you want her to have nicer things._

That was absurd, she wasn't his kid.

_But she almost is, isn't she Babac. You want to give her the finer things in life, give her the best chance she can get in this world._

He shook his head at those thoughts, thinking how weird he was being for arguing with himself. Instead of dwelling on it, Russell picked the toddler up and carried her to the restroom so she could shower and change into better clothes, scolding her and telling her why what she was doing was so dangerous. When they rounded upon the crew, Russell had to explain to them what had happened, making most of them worried and slightly amused. Morgan and the new man laughed heartily at the story and seeing the soot covered kid.

"What a curious _babmbin_! Reminds me of my own back home." He said, his strange accent flitting through the air.

"Leah, how many times have we told you not to crawl in the vents?" Christopher warned, a little edge coming in his voice.

"A lot." Leah answered immediately.

"And why did you do it _this _time?"

"New person!" She said, a smile coming to her face as she turned to the water warn passenger who laughed at the little girl's curiosity.

"Ah come now _Père_! Your little _bambin_ caused no harm." The man said. He was a jovial one, middle aged, blonde, blue eyed, complete with a wide smile and jolly laugh.

"Père?" Thomas asked, much to the delight of Captain Morgan who knew exactly what was coming next.

"Ah, I assumed the young doctor was her _Père. _I believe you would call him her father in your language, yes?" The man said with a wide smile as he turned to talk with the toddler. "Your _Père _is a very protective one. You should follow what he says!"

All the pirates turned to look at the doctor, then the toddler, knowing what would happen next. It was only a matter of time. Nathan had a small smile on his face, Eduardo's eye was filled with mirth, Russell had a full blown smile, Thomas was still glancing back and forth between toddler and doctor, and Morgan started laughing outright. Christopher was only waiting for the inevitable.

"Yessir!" the little girl saluted from the fencer's arms. "M'sorry Père. Won't happen again!"

Almost all the pirates were smiling in a knowing fashion, recalling the first time they had been likened to a father. Christopher took it in stride much like Russell surprisingly had. He gave the toddler a warm smile, instantly forgetting her little slip in judgement due to the little name she'd bestowed upon him.

"Of course, as long as you don't do it again. Now do you remember what yarrow and arnica looks like?"

Leah nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright, go wash your hands and face and grab those for me while I get the patient into his bed." Christopher instructed, watching as the toddler excitedly ran off in a puff of soot.

"She's a cute one, your _bambin._" The man smiled.

"We know." Christopher smiled kindly. "Now, about that cold you have—"

* * *

While the man was staying with them, Leah kept him company in the sickroom. The man seemed to be much calmer around the little girl, probably because he had his own kids at home and was wondering about them. He ended up telling the girl stories from where he was from and teaching her some of his language as well while Christopher silently listened in to make sure that his patient was still lucid. A cold at sea was never a good one, especially one as severe as the Frenchman's.

"So, you see _bambin_, my little Jean has this nasty habit of getting stuck in trouble. He really has a knack for getting out of it though. We always joke that he should be a pirate when he gets older. He'd be more slippery than your _Père's_ crew!" The man, whose name they learned was Gaston, finished with a chuckle.

"Don't let her fool you. Leah likes to get into her fair amount of trouble as well." Christopher said from his corner as he was preparing the man's medicine for that evening by candle light.

"Ah, so the little _bambin_ is a devil too! I feel like I'm back home already!" The man laughed, ruffling the girl's hair and making her giggle. For some reason, Christopher didn't like the way the man was treating her. It was fatherly, of course, but the _crew_ was her guardians, not Gaston of all people. But Christopher scolded himself for that line of thinking, for he knew that the man was homesick and the toddler was helping to lighten his mood.

"It's almost time for bed, little one." Christopher said, looking out into the window. It was incredibly dark and the only one up at this time would be Eduardo.

"Alright _bambin! _Off to bed you go!" Gaston laughed, picking her up off the side of his sickbed.

"G'night Gaston!" Leah said, smiling widely before turning around and hugging the Doctor's legs. "G'night Père!" And with that, Leah sauntered off to Christopher's room and climbed into her dresser, falling asleep almost immediately.

"Well, easy to figure out who she prefers." Gaston laughed. "She really is what you would call a daddy's girl in your language."

"You could say that again." Christopher smiled, turning to hand the Frenchman his medicine before sitting across from him and getting serious. It was the Doctor's job to get the information out of the patient, making sure he was healthy enough to withstand that form of interrogation. He wouldn't let anyone ask him anything otherwise.

"So, you're sure it was the Buccaneer that took your ship down." Christopher asked.

"_Oui_, and Captain Xenon is something bloodthirsty, and maybe crazy. He's looking for that tide jewel to hunt down mermaids in the deep. He said they took something from him, something important." Gaston said, his eyes turning mournful. "He killed my shipmates looking for that cursed stone. All of them fell to his blade, and I was too sick to defend any of them. They confined me to the infirmary on the ship when it went down, but I should have been on deck fighting for what it was worth."

"You would have died along with the rest of your crew." Christopher said. "While we're on the subject, you said he almost came in contact with a tide jewel"

"_Oui_, on board the Dravidian. It was a civilian ship headed for Baltier, and one of the upper class families supposedly had a jewel. He saw it in the wife's hands, but he was stopped by the husband. While he dealt with him, the wife was found at the railing of the ship, supposedly dropping a bundle into the sea. She was slaughtered away from her husband."

"How do you know all this?" Christopher asked. The man couldn't have been there could he have?

"That Xenon has a liking for his own voice. He told the crew this right before slitting their throats one by one. I was right below the floor boards, so I heard everything." Gaston shuddered, seemingly traumatized.

"Leah…" Christopher murmured. Her parents gave her to the sea to save her life, not to kill her.

"What about the little _bambin_?" Gaston asked.

"We found her at sea almost four weeks ago. She had a tide jewel with her. We supposed it was to keep her safe from the ocean."

"The wife's bundle." Gaston said in awe while Christopher nodded solemnly in return.

"We're trying to return her to her family in Baltier, if she has any left." Christopher said.

"But the way you acted _mon ami_, it was like you were her father." Gaston said.

"We like to think we've been family to her while she's been with us. She's adopted nearly the entire crew as her surrogate father, isn't that funny?" Christopher said, but his eyes held no joy. After a few second of silence, something in Gaston's mind finally clicked.

"You don't want to give her up." Gaston said, a small smile forming on his face.

"We wish we could keep her with us, but we're not her real family." Christopher said.

"Every father knows when their baby is meant for them, Christopher. That's how she was able to adopt all of you in so little time. She was destined for you." Gaston assured.

"However much I'd like to think that or the rest of the crew would like to think that, piracy is no life for a little girl." Christopher insisted.

"But these pirates are her family. And who is to say piracy is no life for the _bambin_, she seems to be happy here."

"That does not stop the fact that we should at least look for her real family, no matter how much we wish we didn't have to." Christopher said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. This Frenchman was making everything more complicated than it had to be, and he was stirring up his feelings so well. "I believe it's time we retired, don't you?"

"Alright _mon ami_, I leave it alone for tonight." Gaston said, smiling. Christopher said a goodnight to him before picking up the candle and leaving the room for his cabin. When he got there, he saw his precious cargo sound asleep. The corners of his mouth lifted, and he whispered a quiet good night to the toddler before blowing out the candle.

* * *

**Sorry for the late update. Poll on my page for the next story, please go check it out!**


	9. In Which the Frenchman Returns Home

After a few days where Leah spent time with both the Frenchman and her Père, it was time for her to rotate around again, but this time had all the pirates even more on edge. It was Thomas's turn to watch the little girl that week, and they did not need a repeat of the storage incident. Thomas was confident that he and the toddler would become great friends and he'd have no problems while the rest of the crew could only wait for the inevitable; the toddle was doomed.

"Okay Leah, why don't we take your stuff to the cabin and then you can help me out on deck." Thomas said, a grin on his face. "We'll see if we can't make a game out of our chores."

"Game!" The toddler squealed in delight, running with her clothes in arms to the apprentice's cabin. Thomas grinned like a fool, knowing he's have absolutely no trouble with the toddler the entire week. Gaston laughed in the background.

"You've got a way with the _bambin, mon ami!_" Gaston called from the other side of the deck. Thomas grinned back.

"Well, I thought she'd get bored with the chores quickly if we were only washing deck and organizing." Thomas grinned.

"Ah, sounds like fun. My Jean liked to play chore games as well, when he wasn't trying to get out of them that is!" Gaston laughed.

"Oi Thomas!" The navigator called from the helm. "You better not be making Leah take on all your work!"

"Hey, I wouldn't do that!" Thomas yelled back drastically, only then catching the teasing look in the Navigator's eyes. What a strange look, Thomas thought, Eduardo was never that jovial before. The toddler really had changed somethings.

"GameGameGameGame!"

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

"There's the little monster!" Thomas said, joy filled his voice, picking the girl up and swinging her onto his hip. She squealed in laughter, having a blast with the apprentice. "Are you ready to play some chore games?"

* * *

"He looks like a natural, don't he?" Morgan said.

The captain was taking one of his rare outings on the deck and spent it at the helm where he could watch the young apprentice play with the little girl and still get his chores done. At this time, they had attached scrub brushes to their feet and were skating around on deck, getting it clean and blowing off some energy as well.

"Yeah, who'd have thought?" Eduardo said, the slightest hint of awe in his voice. The entire time the toddler had been with them, they'd been dreading her week with the apprentice just as much as they'd been dreading her week with the fencer. However, it turned out he seemed to have an inherent maternal instinct. "I hope she calls him mom."

Morgan let out a large laugh that didn't stop for a full five minutes, catching the attention of all those on deck. Both Leah and Thomas looked over at their Captain in question, but then they shared a smile. The apprentice saw the little girl's gaze stay longer than necessary on their captain.

"Go on and say hi. The main deck's finished anyway." Thomas said, grinning and ruffling her hair. The little girl squealed in delight, hugging the apprentice tightly as she could around his legs before throwing off her brushes and rushing to the helm.

"Cap'n! Otosan!" The toddler squealed, running to join the two pirates. Both men shared a look and a small laugh as they watched the little girl struggle to climb the stairs needed to get to their position on deck.

"Hello little one, and what are you and Thomas up to today?" Morgan asked as the little girl rushed up to him, promptly picking her up and setting her on his knee.

"Games!" Leah said happily, giggling in delight.

"Be careful not to get hurt while playing so rough, kid." Eduardo said, not even turning from the wheel of the ship. The toddler, knowing that her Otosan was just watching out for her, nodded before realizing he couldn't see her.

"Yes sir!" She saluted, giggling a bit as she did. All of the pirates' moods were lifted that day from hearing their girl's laughter fill the ship's air. They never thought they'd heard her laugh or squeal that much, not even when she was so delighted to be learning about 'Medey-sin' from Christopher.

The doctor himself walked out of the sickroom with a smile on his face, having been able to see the entirety of what had gone on with the toddler and apprentice. Although his fears and misgivings about the entire situation were still rolling around in his stomach, he couldn't keep the laughter from his expression as he watched his little girl have that much fun.

Christopher went to check up on the Frenchman who was on cloud nine from watching the interaction between pirate and toddler.

"How are you feeling, Gaston?" Christopher asked, feeling his forehead with his hand. "You feel hot."

"I'm fine, _mon ami!_ You're just feeling the sun's rays! It's such a good day out, you should spend it with your _bambin!_" Gaston laughed, making the doctor's mouth turn slightly down in a frown.

"You should be resting." Christopher sighed. "I'll give you some more yarrow to keep the fever down, but you might want to get inside and save your strength."

"Just watching the little _bambin_ gives me strength." Gaston replied airily. "She reminds me so much of my little Jean, I cannot wait to see him."

Christopher understood the Frenchman's sentiments and calmly let him be, waving at the toddler who had waved at him first. She was laughing as she bounced on Morgan's knee, and all he could think was '_what a nice family picture that would make'_. But he had to remind himself that she didn't belong to them; she wasn't their baby girl, and that nearly tore his heart in two.

It was soon after the doctor's departure that the toddler rushed back down to the main deck to help the apprentice. Thomas grinned and let her help carry the bucket to the lower deck, continuing their skating game for the next few hours. The young apprentice enjoyed having the toddler around so much that he had conveniently forgotten that she had to be returned if they found her family in Baltier. Thomas didn't want to think of losing their precious cargo, for she was already family on board. She was their little girl, and none of the pirates could face handing her off just yet.

Coming across the thought of giving the toddler to her parents, Thomas's mood sobered significantly. He couldn't imagine a day without the toddler now that she had been with them for so long. The little girl looked up at the apprentice and cocked her head. Her guardian had gone unusually quiet, and he didn't seem like he was having fun anymore.

"You okay?" Leah asked the apprentice, grabbing his hand. Thomas looked down and gazed into the concerned eyes of the toddler and forced out a smile.

"I'm fine, Leah. Now c'mon, let's go sort through the storage room before lunch comes around." Thomas said, ruffling the little girl's hair. Leah nodded, believing the apprentice was completely alright and helped him to move all the supplies into the broom closet before hurrying to the storage room where they spent the rest of the time organizing foodstuffs and weaponry (although Thomas did most of that) and precious treasures that the Sirius had collected on their many adventures.

One item that caught Leah's eye was a beautiful cloth. Well… beautiful to her. The color was a dingy grey and it looked worn and barren. Yet, the toddler saw something magical in it, and when she touched it, her hands felt like they were gliding over water. Amazed at this mystery fabric, the toddler tugged down the large roll and clumsily unwound it just enough to lay on. That was how Thomas found her, transfixed in this fabric that came from the Isles of Sadsibar.

"Leah, you like that old thing?" Thomas laughed picking her up and rolling the cloth back again. "It's not a color little girls usually like."

"Is soft." Leah said, smiling and reaching out to pet the fabric again. Thomas shook his head fondly and grabbed her hand, reminding her that it was time for lunch.

The toddler instantly forgot about the fabric and started dragging the apprentice toward the mess room. Lunch was her favorite time of the day. It was when everyone was rowdy and loud and her guardians were laughing and lively rather than tired like in the mornings or in the night. Thomas, not at all surprised by the toddler's renewed vigor, laughed and let himself be dragged toward the room.

As the doors opened, the toddler let go of Thomas's hand and rushed to her favorite spot in between her Otosan and her Poppie. Eduardo ruffled the toddler's hair and Nathan, who had just come from the kitchen, set a bowl of food right in front of her and Thomas before sitting down at the table himself.

All the pirates were laughing and jolly and the toddler couldn't be happier. Her family was all together and everything was right in the world. She didn't—couldn't suspect that they'd be giving her up soon. In her own mind, they were her fathers and they were her world.

"Leah found the fabric from Sadsibar today." Thomas said, grinning at the little girl who was happily eating her strawberry yogurt and humming in delight at the taste. "She said it was soft."

"Strange color for her to like" Eduardo said, rubbing his chin.

"Leave the kid alone, she's got some fine taste" Morgan said, grinning at the little kid across the table. "I happen to adore that fabric as well. I don't know why I haven't found a good use for it yet."

"Because you can't sell it." Christopher muttered. He never did like that fabric. It reminded him of darker days and less successful expeditions.

"It was pretty." Leah said softly, turning shy and nearly melting a couple of the pirate's hearts. "Where Sadsibar?"

"Sadsibar is a desert town in the west." Eduardo explained, pointing in that direction. "Do you remember Market Street at Hakuon?" The toddler nodded. "Think that street but twice that many people and peddlers selling things you've never dreamt were possible. Clothing, jewelry, foods, anything was on sale."

"Let's not forget that most of the peddlers were scammers as well." Christopher broke in. "I think Russell nearly bankrupted us when he decided to buy that 'genie lamp'."

"It's he said we'd get three wishes. Who wouldn't pay for that?" Russel defended himself, his tone and antics amusing the toddler to no end.

"Silly Babac" Leah giggled, making the rest of the crew laugh as well. Even the fencer had to give in after a while and join in.

"Now that I think of it, weren't they speaking some weird language there? I mean really strange?" Thomas said. "It was really a really scary one too. A peddler was yelling at us in his native tongue. He was scarier than the queen's navy."

"Thomas, you would be the person that thinks peddlers are scarier than pirates." Eduardo snorted, leaving Nathan with an almost smug smile on his face.

"No, Thomas is right, the tongue was very odd. I don't think I've ever heard it before." Christopher said.

"I think is was Czech." Morgan said, rubbing his small beard before and evil glint came to his eyes. "No I'm positive it was Czech. I remember a little boy calling out 'Otec' to his father in the main street. Must be how they say it there."

"Captain!" Thomas cried, cheeks reddening slightly. He was completely embarrassed that Morgan was setting him up to be adopted by the toddler as well.

"But I remember this boy too. He was calling out 'maminka' to his mother as well." Eduardo added, grinning almost maliciously at the apprentice. Thomas put his head in his hands and sighed loudly. Now the little girl was going to call him mom! That is not what he wanted at all!

"…Otec?" The little girl pondered, letting the name roll around her tongue, not knowing if she necessarily liked it or not before smiling and laughing to herself. "Otec, Otec, Otec!" She said I an almost chant like excitement.

"Well, looks like she made her decision." Russell huffed. He was looking forward to teasing the apprentice for being called mom. The apprentice in question let out a large sigh of relief and smiled at the toddler.

"I think it's time to finish our chores. What do you say, Leah?" Thomas asked, smiling fondly at the toddler.

"Mkay Otec!" Leah said. "Bye Poppie, bye Otosan, Bye Babac, Bye Père, bye Cap'n!"

All the pirates said goodbye in order, all of them smiling at their little girl.

"I still think she should have called him mom." Eduardo said, grinning again.

* * *

"Gaston, are you ready?" Christopher asked.

"To see my little Jean and dear Amelia again? More than ready." The Frenchman smiled, watching as the growing lump on the horizon became more and more recognizable as time passed. It was his hometown and he was finally returning after several months. "They'll be so happy to know I am alive. Little Jean can meet you _bambin _as well. I am sure they will get along well."

"I believe you're right." Christopher smiled. The toddler was already on deck watching as they pulled up to the island. Her smile grew wide as she began to see the people there.

"Otec, Otec let's go!" the toddler said, grabbing onto the man's leg and tugging.

"Hold on Leah, we can't go just yet. We still have to dock." Thomas said, trying to help Russell close the sails.

"Ah, little _bambin_, let me show you the wonders of my home!" Gaston laughed, holding out his hand to the girl. Leah excitedly ran over to him and let him point out all the places he saw and could recognize.

"Oi, is that Gaston?!" A voice yelled out. It was a man about the Frenchman's age. "Master Gaston, you're alive!"

"_Oui_, my dear friend I am!" The Frenchman yelled back, giddily bouncing up and down. Just as the ship docked, the Frenchman rushed to get the plank set in place before running toward the man he'd called out to. They embraced fiercely, hugging each other as if they'd never see each other again. "My brother, how I missed you!"

"Master Gaston, it is wonderful to have you back safe and sound. Amelia and Jean will be so happy to hear the news." The other man said. He was tall and fair, his red hair playing on his features in a light manner. His accent was more like the pirate's than the Frenchman's, but they didn't ask any questions.

"Miguel, let me introduce you to my saviors!" Gaston said, motioning toward the pirates who were just coming off deck. They stood imposingly before the redheaded man, leaving him nervous before he spotted the little girl behind the youngest pirate's legs.

"Ah, a little girl?" Miguel asked, a smile lighting his features. He knelt before here and offered a smile. "Hello little one. Is this your family?"

The toddler nodded shyly and hid behind her Otec some more.

"Thank you for brining my master—"

"Brother!" Gaston interrupted impatiently.

"—back home for me. No one on the island knew what we would do without him." Miguel smiled, holding out his and to her yet looking at the pirates.

Leah looked up at her fathers. Morgan nodded at her with a smile and gave her the tiniest of shoves. She came forward and took his hand, letting him shake it softly before he stood and addressed the pirates himself.

"Thank you for bringing Master Gaston back to us. We are in your debt, I'm sure." Miguel said, bowing to the pirates.

"Utterly and completely in your debt." Gaston added before giving his own bow. "I am sorry I had not mentioned this before but I am the baron of this island. Miguel here, my head butler and also half-brother, and I would be grateful if you could spend the night tonight celebrating with my family."

"Sounds like fun, captain." Thomas said.

"We can't do any worse than spending the night at a baron's home." Russel said, a grin lighting his features.

Nathan nodded in agreement before swooping the toddler up into his arms as he noticed she was getting tired.

"I guess we could spend our night here before we went to Baltier." Morgan said, watching as the Frenchman's face lit up in delight.

"Then, _mon ami,_ follow me. It is getting late and I wish to catch my son before he goes to bed like your little _bambin_." Gaston laughed.

"Please, let me call the carriage." Miguel said.

"No need! I'm fit as a horse thanks to Christopher here. Now, homeward my wonderful friends!" Gaston cried, leading the way and leaving an exasperated Miguel behind.

* * *

As the pirates came up to Gaston's house, they realized it wasn't a house. It wasn't even a mansion. It was a castle.

"Should we have dressed for the occasion?" Morgan laughed heartily.

"Don't be silly. Now come, come! I want my family to meet my new friends" Gaston said. The doors opened for the master of the house, the maid greeting him with a shocked stare and frazzled eyes.

"M-master Gaston?" She murmured.

"My dear Sarina, my lovely sister-in-law, how wonderful to see you again!" Gaston cried, hugging the maid and twirling her around in circles. The woman the Frenchman was currently swinging was petite in stature yet curvy, her hair was a honey color and her features were fair and lovely. Miguel came from behind the Frenchman before sighing.

"Master Gaston, I would be extremely grateful if you would release _my_ wife." The redhead smarted. Gaston laughed, releasing the maid and introducing her to the pirates.

"Sarina, meet my saviors. This is the Captain, the fabled Morgan. The one to his left is the greatest navigator around, Eduardo. This man here is the most cunning doctor ever to sail the seas, Christopher. This is Russel, one of the finest fencers I know, and here is Thomas, a strapping and promising sailor. This here is the finest chef around, even besting our own Cookie. In his arms is their _bambin_, Leah. You wouldn't believe how much she acts like Jean."

"Master Gaston, I believe the Lady would like to see you" Sarina sighed, but a smile of relief was on her face. "Friends, the night is late and you are undoubtedly tired. Please let me take you to—"

"Gaston?" A voice said. A woman was just up the grand staircase of the foyer. Her completion was fair as was her hair. He features were extremely dainty and her eyes were almost as striking a blue as the toddler's. "Gaston, is that really you?"

"Amelia." Gaston said, his voice quiet for once before he rushed toward the fairy on the staircase. He twirled her around once before kissing her deeply. Tears were rushing down her cheeks as she embraced him. "I am so sorry for worrying you, my love."

"Gaston. Gaston, don't you ever scare me like that again." Amelia cried. "But how? You were dead. Capain Xenon, he…"

"Didn't get all of us." Gaston assured, letting a hand caress her cheek. "I was a castaway for quite some time before these men found me."

As the Frenchman gestured to the pirates, neither the lady nor master could see the awe in their eyes. None of the pirates had seen such an open display of affection, yet they were transfixed by the couple. They were so obviously in love, and that love had touched each of the pirates. Amelia rushed toward them enveloping the closest one in her arms. This was Thomas, and his face became flushed.

The quickly kissed both his cheeks before moving onto the next pirate, saying a multitude of 'thank you's and 'my saviors'. All of the pirates turned sheepish except for Morgan who openly accepted his praise as if it were nothing.

"My dear, they're like all Englishmen. They don't understand our way of thanks. We should let them sleep celebrate my return tomorrow, no? Then Jean and Little Miguel can meet the _bambin._" Gaston said, winking at his wife.

"Miguel has chores tomorrow." Miguel stated before turning to the pirates. "Miguel is my own son, only a few years older than Jean."

"I believe it is time we retired for the night. Please follow me to your quarters." Sarina said, leading the pirates off, raising an eyebrow when Nathan gave the sleeping toddler to Thomas. The apprentice was the first to get a room, surprising the maid further when he took the toddler with him.

"Shouldn't the little lady have her own room?" Sarina asked.

"She's been having night terrors lately miss." Christopher said. "If one of us isn't near when she wakes up, it really isn't pretty. That, and she's used to sharing rooms on the ship."

Sarina nodded hesitantly.

"There are fresh clothes in the armoire, please use those and leave yours to be washed. They will be returned tomorrow morning. Sleep well, Lord Thomas." Sarina said before closing the door.

"Alright Leah, let's go to bed." Thomas said. He laid the little girl on the enormous, soft bed before changing quickly and getting in bed himself. He curled around her protectively and fell asleep soon after closing his eyes.

* * *

**Whelp, this was fun. If you've been checking my profile, this story has been planned up to chapter twenty, which is not the end. The end should be when Leah is grown and has love problems of her own. Now, the next story can be decided on the **_POLL ON MY PAGE _**which you can vote on once. Please go do that and as alway, please favorite and enjoy, Next chapter up sometime this month because of school holiday magicalness!**


	10. In Which the Pirates Return the Toddler

"Otec, wake up!"

Thomas's eyes flew open in panic. He thought the ship may be under siege or the toddler had broken something and needed him. What if she was being kidnapped or she broke a bone or she was sick or…

"Otec, it's time for breakfast, c'mon!" Leah whined, tugging on Thomas's blankets. Because the blankets wouldn't budge and neither would she, once her grasp slipped, she fell off the bed.

Thomas sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes. He had gotten a ridiculously good amount of sleep that night and it was making the young apprentice drowsy this morning. He looked at the toddler wrestling in the sheets and blankets and let out a chuckle accompanied with a yawn. He grasped the writhing bundle and picked her up, walking out the door to find the rest of the Sirius crew. Leah, still entangled in sheets, couldn't help but laugh at the way her Otec swung her around in the bundle.

"Higher Otec, higher!" The girl squealed in delight, loving the swinging motion. As the two were continuing their playing, Thomas saw a familiar face.

"Good morning Miss Sarina." Thomas cried. The young blonde maid turned swiftly and gave a stiff smile to the young apprentice. Then narrowed her eyes at the laughing bungle grasped in his hands. With a huff, she strode towards the young apprentice with purpose.

"Sir Thomas, I do wish you wouldn't swing the lady with such force. It could upset her constitution this morning and Cookie has prepared such a fine breakfast for the Master's return. And when Jean sees him, I really do not want to be cleaning sick from the floor." Sarina said.

Now that Gaston was home and there were celebrations to be had, Sarina and Miguel were in top form. They'd be damned if anything went wrong that day, and it wouldn't start with their guests. Even though they saved their beloved lord, neither of them could tolerate the pirates making any sort of mess that would ruin the supposed fairytale that their family had fallen into. This household would be run with as much decorum as the master would allow, which wasn't much to begin with.

"Oh, please excuse us then." Thomas said, startled at her turn in personality. "C'mon Leah, time to pop out."

He set the toddler on the floor and let her pop out of the sheets on her own. When she did, Sarina all but gasped at the toddler's disheveled appearance. Her black locks were tangled and unruly from her battle with the sheets and her clothes were so wrinkled that Sarina knew it would take at least an hour to iron them out, not to mention that they were the _same clothes_ she wore yesterday. Then she looked at the apprentice and sighed. He too was wearing the same ensemble from the day before.

"Please get ready for breakfast at the table." Sarina grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose. "And if it would please our guests, may I dress the young lady for the meal."

"Oh, I don't know about that, miss. Leah likes to get into a lot of trouble." Thomas said.

"It's nothing Master Jean hasn't put the staff through himself." Sarina said.

"Well, what do you think, Leah. Can you go with Miss Sarina and clean up?" Thomas asked, giving the girl a pointed, look.

"Yes sir, Otec!" The toddler said enthusiastically. She hugged her father's knees and ambled toward the maid, reaching for her hand. Sarina was surprised at the offer. While her own son did once hold her hand when he was younger, he had stopped a long time ago and Master Jean was such a private person that he never did offer such a sweet gesture in such a childish way.

Thomas saw the frown and worry lines melt from Sarina's face when she took the toddler's hand, inwardly grinning to himself about how great the girl was. Sarina nodded to the apprentice then walked down the hall, albeit bent over slightly from the difference in their heights. The young maid was subject to the toddler's babbling, not that it bothered her, and she found she rather liked listening to the girl's adventures on the sea.

"And Babac had never seen dolphins! Have you seen Dolphins?" Leah asked excitedly.

"No, I can't say I have." Sarina said. "But I have seen a few lions and tigers myself."

"Lions and tigers?" Leah asked.

"Yes, they're mighty cats that roar and prowl the jungles. They're also fairly dangerous, but I was able to go see them at a circus that was sailing the islands." Sarina said, opening a door in the hallway. It lead to the washroom.

"Dangerous kitties?" the toddler asked, entranced by the thought.

"Yes, dangerous kitties." Sarina laughed. She liked that the little girl was more curious about the animals than the circus. It was like she was more interested in learning about nature than the places she could go to find such creatures. "Now, it's time to bathe."

Sarina, having talked to the girl and got both of them comfortable with each other, found that the toddler was no trouble at all as long as she was kept interested about the stories the maid would tell. Honestly, it wasn't that hard for Sarina to keep the kid's attention since the girl knew so little about the world outside the sea. However, the maid did marvel at the toddler's knowledge about ship keeping and sailing. However unladylike, it was still impressive.

Once the toddler was bathed, Sarina was drying her off when she heard a knock on the door. The young maid opened it a crack to find her husband offering a grin.

"Hello, Love." Miguel said.

"Miguel, here? Really? You know there are rules about showing affection while on duty." Sarina said, a blush dusting her features. Although eh only offered an affectionate name, she still thought the gesture a bit too intimate for the public. Gaston was rubbing off on him.

"I know, I just wanted to see your beautiful, blushing face this morning." Miguel smiled. "Anyway, the girl's father handed me this. It's for the little one."

"Oh, Sir Thomas turned out to be more thoughtful than I presumed." Sarina said, earning a weird look from the Maid.

"Sarina, Eduardo handed me the bundle." Miguel said. Sarina and her husband both shared a startled look before the maid shut the door and walked calmly toward the toddler.

"Miss Leah, can I ask you a question?" Sarina said, setting the bundle down.

"Sure!"

"Can you tell me who your father is?"

"It's Babac, Poppie, Otosan, Otec, Père, and Cap'n." Leah answered, unfazed by the long answer.

"But Leah, you can't have six fathers." Sarina sighed.

"Yes you can. _I _have six." Leah said, a smile lighting her features. It was the smile that told Sarina she couldn't change the little girl's mind. With another sigh, the maid opened the bundle to find a beautiful red blouse and dainty brown trousers. Her father went to their ship to get the toddler fresh clothes, was the maid's conclusion. After finding out how caring they were, having six pirate fathers might not be so bad for the little girl, she mused. Then she looked at the ensemble with a scrutinizing eye.

"How fitting for the daughter of pirates." Sarina smiled before turning and starting to dress the toddler.

* * *

All the pirates sat at the table, leaving room between Nathan and Eduardo for their precious cargo, as they waited for the Master of the house to join them. It wasn't long until the doors behind them opened up out came their toddler and the head maid. The little girl rushed to the spot between her Poppie and Otosan. She grinned up at her fathers with delight before being scolded.

"Now Leah, what do you say?" Morgan asked, eyes narrowed playfully, although the toddler didn't notice. She only knew that she had forgotten something. She hopped out of her seat, rushed toward the maid and offered a bright smile.

"Thank you miss Sarina!" She said, startling the maid. It wasn't often someone of a supposed higher standing taught their children to thank the help.

"Y-you're welcome." Sarina said. The staff that was there looked at the pirates in shock. These heathens were teaching the little girl manners?

Leah rushed back to her seat, sitting politely like Morgan had taught her to. It seemed the Pirate King thought highly of young ladies who presented themselves with care and the little girl wanted nothing more than to make her fathers proud of her.

Eduardo ruffled the little girl's hair and Nathan offered a smile. Christopher was chatting with Russell about the night they spent in Gaston's home and Morgan was teasing Thomas on having the toddler late to the table. Leah couldn't be happier that her family was lively that morning. It was almost like lunchtime on the ship. Speaking of which, the toddler found she sorely missed the rocking of the boat.

"Is everyone but my husband here?" A bell-like voice rung out. "Goodness, you'd think he'd treat his saviors with more respect."

The lady of the house glided into the room with an air of elegance, pinning the pirates with a bright smile. Her golden hair was plaited and held tightly in a bun on her head. Her dress was elegant, yet not too formal. It was as if the woman came from an enchanted forest. None of the pirates could figure out how the Frenchman was able to win such a magical bride.

The woman sat next to the head of the table, right in front of Nathan. She settled herself neatly and looked around, taking notice that the chatter had stopped upon her arrival. Not one to have silence at her table, the fairy-woman looked at the toddler and smiled.

"How has your stay been, little one?" She asked. The toddler was all too happy to answer.

"It's been really nice." She said, a smile lighting her childish features.

Morgan coughed.

"Oh, um, thank you." She said sheepishly, glancing at her Cap'n.

The woman let out a great laugh and started talking animatedly with the little girl. The pirates, feeling somewhat comfortable to continue their conversations around the woman, went back to their teasing and conversing with each other. So much that they missed the next person who came in the room.

"Mother." A soft voice said. The fairy-woman looked down to find her son at her side, a hand on her skirt. "Who are these people?"

"Oh, Jean these are our guests. They came last night with a surprise for us." She said, a grin lighting her features. All the pirates now took notice of the little boy next to his mother. The boy sighed and sat in the chair between the woman and Christopher, giving all the pirates a better look at him. He was a year older than Leah at most, and he was almost as beautiful as his mother. His hair color mirrored hers, as did his blue eyes, yet his face held Gaston's masculinity. However, they could tell the boy was much more reserved than his father and mother.

"Jean, these are the Sirius pirates. That is the captain Morgan, the navigator Eduardo, the ship doctor Christopher, the chef Nathan, the fabled two-sword-fencer Russell, and their promising apprentice Thomas. And this is their little girl, Leah." Amelia said, gesturing around the table. Jean offered a solemn hello to the pirates, leaving Amelia to frown a bit.

"Please excuse him. He's been like this ever since his father… well." She said, laying a hand on top of her son's head, winking at the pirates.

"Did someone call my name?"

Jean's eyes widened and he whipped around in his seat. There in the doorway stood his father, the father he supposedly lost at sea, dressed and fed and alive. Jean blinked twice before jumping out of his seat and rushing into his father's arms.

"Ah, my little Jean, did you think I would not come back?" Gaston asked his son. "I promised you didn't I?"

"I missed you Papa" Jean said into the collar of his father's shirt.

"Come now little one, why don't we eat." Gaston said, looking around. "But before that, where is my favorite nephew?"

"I am your only nephew, uncle Gaston." A boy said, coming forth from the shadows. This boy looked nothing like his parents. His hair was a pitch black, his eyes a dark grey. He, however, had a much more lively air about him than did the young master of the household. He was a bit taller than Jean, likely only two years older than the blonde boy. Little Miguel hugged his uncle before returning to his father's side, taking a perfect stance in exact replication of his father's.

"Now my friends, let us feast!" The Frenchman said, just as a flood of food came pouring from the kitchen in the hands of many servants.

* * *

"Hello, my name is Leah! What's yours?" the toddler asked. All the grownups were talking in the study, leaving Leah, Jean, and Little Miguel alone to meet and play.

"Jean." Was the blonde's solemn reply.

"I am Miguel." The older boy said.

"Can you tell me how my father came to be on your ship?" Jean asked. Leah smiled, hoping that the solemn boy was opening up to her now that he'd uttered more than one word. And with that as her prompt, the toddler spun a very long, yet somehow accurate yarn about how the Frenchman came to be on her fathers' ship. Her words entranced both boys until she was done with her tale, leaving them aghast at the story.

The children got along well after that. They played all day and, thanks to Miguel's knowledge of the staff's rounds, Jean's ever so good persuasion, and Leah's trickery, the trio was able to outskirt and outsmart any of the staff they pranked or decided to steal sweets from. Leah was not at all surprised to find that this game was one of the boys' favorite pastimes. The sun was starting to set when the little girl finally heard her name called by one of her fathers.

"Leah, say goodbye to your friends. It's time to go!" Christopher called, a kind smile lighting his features, yet only the boys could see the tightness behind it.

"Okay Père!" The little girl said. "Goodbye Miguel, Goodbye Jean. Let's have fun together again!"

"Of course Leah!" Jean said, the bright smile that Leah had come to know lighting his bright features. As it turned out, the younger boy was much livelier than his older counterpart.

"Until next time." Little Miguel said. Leah nodded and rushed to her father's arms. She said goodbye to the Frenchman and his wife who had become something like a surrogate aunt and uncle just as much as the head maid and butler had. The two boys watched the interaction until the pirates disappeared down the road.

"Is it just me or does something seem off with Leah's fathers?" Jean asked.

"No, I believe something is wrong." Little Miguel said.

"We should ask Papa. He would know!" Jean said, earning him a nod from his friend.

It was that night that the boys learned the entire story of the Sirius pirates and their toddler, they learned about Amelia's friend who had lost her niece and sister at sea, and they learned what exactly was going to transpire in the next week.

* * *

"Alright little one, do you have all your stuff?" Morgan asked. The pirates were back on the ship and sailing to their next destination that was only a few days away; Baltier. It was finally the Captain's rotation, and the pirates realized it was the final rotation. It was during this week that Leah spent all her time with at least one of the pirates. She found it odd, they were so eager to be with her yet so sad when they were. Their smiles were different and even their lunchtime talk had somehow turned somber. Leah didn't like this change and took every opportunity to ask what was wrong.

"Nothing is wrong Leah, we're all fine. Here, what herb is this?" Christopher dodged the question.

"Nothing's up kid. Now see out there, that ship belongs to a fisherman trying to catch his wares." Russell said, desperately trying to change the subject.

"What are you talking about Leah? We're acting fine. Why don't we play another game?" Thomas said, although his smile didn't reach his eyes.

"It's nothing you need to bother yourself with, kid. Now, this is a latitude line and this here is a longitude line." Eduardo said, forcibly not facing the toddler as he taught her everything he could before his time was up.

"Nothing." Nathan said, ruffling her hair and handing her fruits to toss. He then proceeded to teach the toddler spices and foods in order to keep his thoughts away from the inevitable.

"Leah, let me tell you a story" Morgan offered, not even acknowledging the toddler's question. As the last few days passed and the pirate's moods didn't change, she become even more worried. Around the breaking point, they finally docked at Baltier. And what a port it was.

The town was extravagant, every house painted a soft pasted color and covered in regal moldings, adorned with columns, and at least two or three stories tall. All the pirates looked on the town with loathing. Then they looked at their toddler who was excitedly pointing to things and asking her curious questions that the pirates had come to know and enjoy.

But something was different this time when they disembarked.

"Leah, go get your things." Morgan said, ruffling the little girl's hair. She didn't question him, only got her things and came back. When she did, she found her captain not dressed in his usual hat and coat, but more like a regular sailor. His hair was pulled back into a tie away from his face, his shirt was tan and old, and his pants looked as worn as his boots. Leah did not like this change, but she didn't say anything. For some reason, she knew the answer would be 'nothing's wrong.'

The other thing about this time around was that only she and Morgan were leaving the ship. All the other pirates were staying on board. But before they left, each pirate made sure to say goodbye.

Thomas ruffled her hair and told her to be good for her Cap'n.

"You're not going for supplies?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

Christopher hugged her and told her to eat right and get enough sleep. This confused the toddler; couldn't her tell her that before she went to bed?

"You don't need more herbs?"

"No little one. I don't."

Eduardo pressed the back of her hands to his lips and gave them a gentle squeeze, telling her to keep up her learning. Couldn't he keep an eye on that for her? He was her teacher after all.

"The ship doesn't need repairs?"

"Not this time. Sorry, Leah."

Russell pulled her into a bear hug and told her to keep a good eye out for enemy ships at the port for him. That was his job wasn't it?

"Why aren't you coming with us?"

"Because there's nothing here for me, kid."

Nathan struggled to let the girl go once he had her encased in his arms. The toddler thought she almost saw a tear slip from his eye. Why was he crying?

"Why are you sad Poppie?"

"Not sad. Be good for our Captain."

When the captain and the toddler left, all she could think was that for some reason her fathers were lying to her. And little did she know that she was right. The goodbyes given to her were near downright lies, but the pirates weren't strong enough to leave the ship. They knew that if they did, they'd rush to bring their baby back, and they couldn't do that. So they abhorred this town for taking away their precious cargo, and they didn't want anything to do with it. Morgan was the only one who thought he was strong enough to be able to take the girl to her family.

And so, the captain walked with the little girl on his hip down the roads, ignoring the stares earned by his poor clothing, dodging the girl's questions until he came to the house, painted white and surrounded by trees, that held the little girl's real family. He opened the wrought iron gates, treaded along the cobblestone walkway, ignored the child friendly dog that followed his heels, and stopped as he stood before the grand door that separated him from the end.

His shoulders shook as he used the knocker. The toddler looked at him with concern.

The door opened to expose a woman, an almost adult version of the little girl in his arms, who gasped upon spotting him.

"Come in, come in. Amelia's letter said you'd be here in record time, but I didn't' think you'd be here so quickly." The woman said, stepping aside for the pirate to come in. He set the toddler down gently, almost in a trance. As he looked around, he thought 'This fits. This is what she needs.'

"Cella." The woman said, looking down at the toddler and confusing her more. "Do you know who I am?"

The toddler shook her head.

"Is that her name?" Morgan asked?

"Why yes, it's Evangeline Percella Devin. Amy always called her Cella." The woman picked up the toddler and nestled her on her hip. "Cella, I'm Aunt Maria. Do you remember me?"

The toddler shook her head and was surprised to find that, when she looked up close, the woman had tears coming from her eyes.

"She looks just like my sister." Maria said, voice cracking.

"Is that them, dear?" A man's voice bellowed. Into the foyer came a tall, handsome man who smiled when he saw the toddler in his wife's arms. "Well, if it isn't Cella. I'd know those eyes anywhere."

"I think this belongs to you." Morgan said dryly, handing a gem to the man.

"This? No, please keep it. As thanks for bringing my niece home safely. Plus, I don't want Captain Xenon around here." The man smiled kindly, handing the gem back to the pirate before ruffling the toddler's hair, sparking a little anger in the Pirate King. The toddler didn't know if she liked this foreign hand or not.

"If I may make a request of the lady of the house." Morgan said, looking pointedly at the toddler.

"Ah, yes. Here Cella, can you come with me?" The man asked.

The little girl shook her head.

"Aw, c'mon. Don't you remember Uncle George?"

Morgan could tell the toddler wasn't going to budge unless…

"Leah, do as you're told." Morgan said. The toddle looked at her father in shock before nodding and grabbing the man's hand. The man, her supposed uncle, took her upstairs and showed her a room. It was nice, she supposed, with the white canopy bed, the bountiful books, the nice carpet and armoire, and the bench window that overlooked the front garden. The toddler and her uncle sat there, the older man trying to reconnect with his niece. He could remember when he was the one to make her laugh and shout. One of her first words were Uncle George after all, and he thought he could rekindle that kinship. He thought he was getting somewhere when he made her smile, but the moment was broken when the little girl spotted the captain leaving the house.

In a flash, the toddler raced down the stairs and through the front door, just in time to see the man she thought of as her father shut the gates and start walking away.

"Daddy!" the toddler cried. "Daddy wait!"

Morgan stopped in his tracks. Did he hear that correctly?

"Daddy please don't leave me!"

Tears were starting to stream down the toddler's face. She understood now. She knew why everything was so wrong the past week. Her fathers were saying goodbye. They couldn't say goodbye. They _loved_ her, didn't they?

"Daddy please, I don't want you to leave me. Don't leave Daddy!" The toddler was wailing at the man who couldn't move.

And then Morgan's legs were functional again, and he kept walking away. As he did, he heard the toddler's cried of 'daddy, daddy please don't leave me!' faded away from his hearing as did the sound of her pulling on the iron gates. However, the anguished, betrayed voice of his little girl didn't leave his mind and his heart shattered every time he replayed the word 'Daddy' in his head. It was only when he had passed the crew, locked himself in his room, and sat in his rocking chair that he noticed tears were coming from his eyes as well.

* * *

**Okay guys, there is a **_POLL ON MY PAGE_ **for the next story. Please go vote. As always, enjoy and don't hate me so much for breaking the pirate's hearts. Not gonna lie, it was kinda fun.**


	11. In Which Letters Are Sent and Received

_Dear Captain Morgan,_

_I must admit that I am at a lost for what to write. You see, it's a tad intimidating to write to such a well-known pirate, much less a pirate king. If George knew I was doing this, I'm sure he would faint on the spot with embarrassment and shock. He'd most likely take away my allowance_*** **_for the year if he found these. Exciting, don't you think?_

_George has insisted that we start on Cella's education. He's paid for the finest tutor to come and enlighten her world, and it's just gone swimmingly. To our surprise, she can already multiply, divide, and she even had the chance to show us her skills with maps and charts. I assumed this was your crew's doing in teaching her this, she certainly couldn't have learned this elsewhere. George was so appalled that his niece was doing men's work, but I thought she was brilliant. Her cursive is coming along nicely, although it is sloppy. She is having a little harder time learning her needle-point, but that's expected from someone so small. I've insisted that she continue to broaden her learning with fine literature and more maths, but George is on the fence about the last bit. Do you have any advice I could use to convince him? I think it would be best for Cella to have something to take her mind off things. _

_You see, after your departure, Cella has been extremely__ depressed. The first few nights of your absence, George and I could her cry herself to sleep. It was such a woeful sound, yet that wasn't the most heart wrenching part. When she fell asleep, we heard her cry out names. Names like Otosan, Otec, or Père would emerge from her door. We're only a few rooms down, and she does get a little loud with her woes at night. The staff was getting fairly worried about her, and one of the maids would spend the night in one of the chairs watching her sleep so we could make sure she wouldn't hurt herself in her delirium. At least, that is what the doctor called it—a child's delirium. George and I were appalled with him of course. Our Cella wasn't delirious, she only missed her caretakers. On the same train of thought, she also couldn't eat the first few nights. She'd sniffle at the table and mutter something along the lines of 'Toppy'. I don't think that our girl could eat without thinking about this person, whoever this Toppy may be. I must say though, it was a relief when she finally slept fitfully for the next night and ate a small portion of her food…or so we thought._

_It was as if our niece had lost her voice. She wouldn't speak to either George or myself, and she'd only nod or point at things to get her point across. I believe all of her tears and malnourishment have gotten to her head or maybe she'd imbalanced something critical in her health. The second doctor we took her to see said she was emotionally unhealthy and that we should focus on her mental health. This didn't seem too farfetched. _

_On our strolls through the town, I like to take Cella out with us. She's the most well behaved child, and most people love her so dearly and think she is incredibly polite, although a tad quiet. She's like the picture of a little doll. It's only when we go out past the docks that Cella doesn't seem able to control herself. She looks out and stands there as if waiting for someone to appear. I assume she's waiting for you and your crew, but I assume this is just a passing phase until she gets comfortable with her new home. _

_I suppose I should end this letter here, I don't think you want to hear about more of our mundane lives. Cella really is the only thing that keeps our lives interesting._

_Well wishes,_

_Maria Levancois_

* * *

_Dear Captain Morgan,_

_I must apologize for keeping this letter so short, we have guess you see and I've been sadly neglecting my writing to you. We've just been so busy trying to pull together Cella's birthday bash that I had completely forgotten my promise, I hope you will not hold me to it. You see, it's going to be Cella's fourth birthday this November. I know it's only been a month since you brought our niece back, but I thought you should know what we're celebrating if you caught wind of it. Our guests are a few people you know. Gaston has brought his family and a little of their staff for the celebration. When we asked who to invite, of course Cella said you and the crew, not those words of course, but you know what I mean. _

_Because of our promise, I made sure to let Cella down easy enough to let her know that while she still couldn't see you, you didn't hate her. I know it's silly of me, but I couldn't bring myself to say you were out of her life forever. It would have crushed her heart to know that. Instead I told her that you wouldn't be able to attend at this time of year, seeing as it was such short notice and you must be off sailing. She wasn't very happy. In fact, I'd say she was crestfallen. _

_Please excuse my dampening language, but I do believe this was our deal. I realize that your last letter was a bit snappish if I do say so myself, and I do. I hope you remember that it was you who asked me to keep you updated on Cella's life and her wellbeing, and it is not in my nature to be dishonest. You want the truth, and here it is on paper, I do not fabricate nor do I exaggerate the goings ons in my own home. _

_Oh, it would seem I've gone off on another one of my tirades. Do excuse me, sir. Now on to Cella._

_My sweet niece asked… or she portrayed that she would like Amelia and her son to visit for her birthday. I still do not understand how she's so easily able to get her point across to us, but I thank the stars that I can understand her body language as well as I can. At the same time as I am understanding our niece, I believe George is growing frustrated with her. I don't think he understands quite the extent of her feelings toward you and your crew. By the by, your advice worked swimmingly. Cella has been able to continue her maths just like she ought to. _

_I forgot to mention that my dear brother Leo is coming to visit for the celebration. He's so busy with the navy that he hasn't seen Cella since she was two. I can't wait to see the surprise on his face when he notices just how much she'd grown! _

_Before I go, I think I ought to mention Cella's new friend. The Preacher's Son has taken a liking to our little niece. He seems like he wants to look out for her, and I do think that's a good idea. A holy boy is a good boy, don't you think?_

_I hope this letter finds you and your crew well._

_Sincerely,_

_Maria Levancois_

* * *

_Dear Captain Morgan, _

_I can finally add in from my last letter what I had been forced to leave out due to the short notice. Gaston found out about our little affair here, and he and Amelia wish you well in your endeavors. There's a note enclosed from him, and I have not read it out of politeness and the fear of what you men have to discuss. Really, must you always talk about such bothersome things? You think we women aren't listening while we sit in the study or the kitchen, but you're quite wrong and… I apologize. I was off on another one of my tirades. _

_I thank you for your apology in your last letter. It was quite heartwarming and I understand your sentiments. I know I would only want my daughter to be happy if I knew I couldn't be with her. Yes, I did write daughter because I know exactly how you and your crew feel about her. She must have rubbed off on you, our little Cella. Or should I call her Leah in my letters? I find that I call her that in my head from time to time, and it's almost slipped past my lips. I shant let that happened, especially in front of George. _

_My husband has become increasingly disagreeable as of late. He comes home late into the night and he doesn't speak to Cella much anymore. I sense that he's been disheartened by her standoffishness, but lately I think she's been able to open up to me at least. I must admit that I feel we've bonded over a particular event in the last few weeks, and I shant tell you what that is. A lady must keep some of her secrets, no? _

_On the upside, Cella has been attending church with George and myself, if only to go see Simon. That's the preacher's boy you asked about. He's about half my height, which is amazing because he's only eight years old. I have a feeling he really looks out for Cella. She, Simon, Miguel, and Jean had such a wonderful time playing together until George scolded our niece for her unladylike actions. I for one didn't see the problem until some of the ladies in our church told me how much shame our girl was causing us. I didn't care because she was finally showing a smile on her face, albeit small, but George would have none of it. He forbade her to see the boys for a while. I had no say of course, but it was hard to keep my mouth shut. I just pray that he loosens the reigns before he distances himself too far from her and their relationship won't be able to recover._

_Excuse me, I'm writing this part of the letter a few hours later. I had to leave to reign in my anger and see to Cella. We played a nice game of chess and we talked politely. Yes you read that right. My darling niece and I are _talking _now. Although her words come in short bursts, she still speaks to me. She calls me Aunt Mari and I couldn't be happier. She's still silent around most people, especially George, but I think she'll come around. _

_You asked about Leo in your last letter. I have a sinking feeling that your Leonardo and my Leo are one in the same. He's always spouting off some nonsense about catching pirates, and he causes such a scene when he does it. He always was such a dramatic boy. Another thing that clued me in was the way he couldn't stop staring at Cella and how she froze at the sight of him. Then he knelt in front of her and apologized deeply for something that happened in Hakuon. I dare say a smile broke out on Cella's face and she patted his head. I quote_

_"__S'okay, Uncle Leo."_

_I don't think I've ever seen my brother smile so happily at that time. He really was hit hard my Amy's passing, and I think that seeing Cella and knowing that she was Amy's last light and hope in this world is helping him get past those tough times. She let him play with her and read with her, and I don't think there's ever been a happier man than him. He calls her Eva and she smiles at him. Our girl has so many names, no?_

_About that comment in your last letter, please don't be so crude. Were you half drunk in proposing that idea?_

_Sincerely,_

_Maria_

* * *

_Mon Ami,_

_Why are you not with your little girl? I knew you were going to bring her here, but you've left her in the worst hands. George is not who you think he is, and your _bambin_ knows it. She doesn't like being here without her fathers, and Maria is barely holding the girl together. They struck a kinship, I can tell. But you must return before something horrible happens. Please Morgan, I fear for Maria's and Leah's safety. Send me a letter, anything to let me know you've received this message._

_Waitning Impatiently,_

_Gaston Aubel_

* * *

_Dear Morgan,_

_I do hope you ignore my informality, but I feel that we know each other well enough to forget the 'captain' and 'lady' of our letters. If you think this forward of me, overlook it. I find I am quite testy with you over your last letter. I received it in record time, mind you. Oh yes, I got it just in time for the winter holidays, which I had to break to Cella that you would not be attending. _

_My husband, Morgan, is one of the finest gentlemen I know and I do not take kindly to your conjecture that he may be something more sinister than he leads on. I know he has become distant and I understand that his temper has been more on edge lately, but many men are like that. I hope, no I _know_ that my George will return to himself in time. He's quite busy with work, you see, and that is the reason he's become the way he is. He is not, as you put it, 'fondling other women' or 'drinking away his earnings.' I still find myself in our house, with food on our table, out of debt, and while we've had to lay off the staff and I've had to help out cleaning the house myself (stop laughing about my working. I can do it, I not just some stuffy high-class lady like you jokingly say I am. At least, I hope you're only joking) but everyone has been hit hard this year with the economy falling. It's not George, it's just not!_

_I do believe it is time for me to talk about Cella. Or Leah, as I assume you want me to call her. I couldn't read much of your letter due to so much slander about my husband in it. I barely think there was much else in it. Anyhow, Leah and I get along wonderfully. She and I have been baking this season and sending our pastries and cakes to impoverished communities around the ports. Everyone enjoys seeing our girl, although she is still quiet and a bit withdrawn, and her rare smiles bring light to people's live. I know my words may seem like exaggeration, but we both know they're not. Cella truly brings more light to this world. I only pray that her light become brighter with each passing day._

_Sometimes, this seems true. She'll smile more and she'll speak out and she'll act the part of a fun-loving child. Other days are not so good. These are the days she asks me to take her to see the ocean. I take her and I watch her stand at the shore and sometimes I sea tears come down her face. She is so deeply wounded that I know much time will have to pass before she can heal. It was on one of these days that she came into my room and cried into my shoulder, saying something about being unloved. I knew she felt so, but I also knew she was wrong in saying so. I do wish you would send her a letter to reassure her of your feelings. Withdrawing from her life completely has harmed her more than helped her and we both know it Morgan. Even Simon, that smart boy, has been able to see the hurt in our girl's eyes._

_Please Morgan, she needs something._

_Waiting Hopefuly,_

_Maria_

* * *

_Dear You Cold Hearted Man,_

_You refuse? Refuse?! Do you know what you're doing to your daughter? She's hurt and upset about you withdrawing from her and I cannot do a thing to help her. She's become more depressed and I am at a loss of what to do! Morgan please, I can tell from the letters that you love her. _

_My husband has been leaving for days on business trips now. You can send gifts and I can wait until he's gone to pick them up! I know this will make her feel loved if you just send _something_! I cannot fathom why you're so opposed to this, I—_

_Just please respond as quickly as you can. I think something's happened behind my back. Leah was doing so well, but she's taken a drastic step backwards. I don't know what to do, Morgan. Please share with me your advice._

_A Patiently Waiting Woman,_

_Maria_

* * *

_Dear friend,_

_I apologize for my last letter. It was completely out of line and for once I find myself regretting my choice of words to you. I understand your decision now. Although I do not completely agree with it, I will respect your choice and I will refrain from speaking out against it in the coming letters. You asked about Leah and I have yet to find the cause of her depression, but not for lack of trying. She tells me nothing is wrong, but I know she is lying to me. I've decided to let her keep her secrets until she is ready to let me know on her own._

_Simon has been such a huge help with keeping Leah's mind occupied. They get into some sort of mischief every day, although I wonder how a preacher's son has any inclination towards such things at his age. To each his own I suppose. I laugh each time I get an angry letter or scolding from the more upper class women in society, but what do I care? I married into riches, so I have the heart of the 'common folk' as George likes to call them. _

_I wonder why you keep asking about my husband, but when I go back and read my previous letters I can tell where you may be getting your misgivings. Even I am beginning to doubt the legitimacy of his trips. It has almost gotten to the point where I cannot wait to see him off again. Am I a horrid woman for thinking so? I believe that the George I knew is never coming back. He's cold now, snappish and rude to both Leah and myself. I think he may also suspect our affair here. _

_The church has been very eager to have Leah and I help out around for the new year. They've had and influx of new members and they need more staff to come and file everything and keep everyone in order, as well as help out with Sunday school. Leah and Simon usually don't attend the classes as the preacher and the choir director keep them both for their lessons. Ah, I forgot to mention that George has called off Leah's old tutor. For whatever reason, I don't know, but I pray that it has nothing to do with what you've suggested in the past._

_You keep propositioning me Morgan, and I must keep saying no to you. Although, I do find it is getting harder and harder to turn you down when you spout such sweet words. Are you like this with all women?_

_Playfully Joking,_

_Maria_

* * *

_Dear You Flirt,_

_I do hope you recall the original point of our letters. We are supposed to be discussing our girl, not my 'undeniable attraction' to you. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were letting onto something devious in your last letter. And yes, while you are quite attractive, I hope you realize that I do not agonize over what I write to you and I do not await your letters on baited breath. Such habits are meant for schoolgirls._

_Leah has had one of her days again. I found her crying near the bath, just staring at the water and saying something about her family. I still think you should write, but I promised not to push the matter further. I only ask if you'll be docking at the port anytime soon. Maybe you could see her without her seeing you, if that would make you feel any better._

_I must attest, my dear friend, I am not devious nor am I sly. I am quite blunt in my intentions. You are only too blasé to notice how blunt a lady can allow herself to be. Now please stop with such devious words in your next letter. I do not wish to hear about how much you think of me and how highly you praise my part in keeping Leah safe and happy. I also do not appreciate your sonnets on my beauty, especially when they are inaccurate. I certainly do not have alabaster skin, nor do I have the 'loveliest ebony tresses' that you've ever seen. Please stop with your teasing._

_Yours,_

_Maria_

* * *

_Dear you insufferable man,_

_How many times must I tell you? Your flirting, although flattering and much appreciated, is taboo. I am _married._ And do not think I do not know about your famous score with women, fabled Captain Morgan. I will have none of it, you sly pirate. And no, your sonnets are anything but true! I do not have the 'purest of hearts' and I definitely do not 'long for the touch of a real man.' That last one should have steamed through the envelope, it was so forward. _

_And Leah, not that you ask in much words, has been lightening up recently in my husband's long absence. He's been sent to Hakuon to garner a deal with a very sought after client. That has left Leah and I plenty of time to get our chores done and play a few games as well. She's been having those days again, but they come and go._

_Your crew is right by the way. If you're in love with me, you're in deep trouble._

_Yours, _

_Maria_

* * *

_Dear Morgan, _

_I find I now regret some of the choices in my life. You were right about George. Those business trips and long nights away from have been partially spent at work, and partially spent at a brothel in the darker parts of town._

_I only found out a few weeks ago for he told me himself. I haven't the courage to tell my niece that her uncle is a whoring man. I'm so ashamed that I fell in love with him, yet I realize that I didn't fall in love with this version of him. Or did that version ever really exist at all? It has become hard to tell in the last few weeks. I've also come to know that it was due to him that Leah's depression comes and goes. Every time he's home, she's hidden away in her room and when dinner comes around, she sits there uneating and frightened, almost like myself._

_I almost cannot bring myself to say the transgression he brought upon her, for it has also been brought upon myself. It is disgraceful to think of and frightening to say the least. We're usually protected by the staff whom have the most uncanny ways of deterring his attention from us when he's home. I have half a mind to leave and let them all go so they can find a more tolerable, loving family to work for. I'd take Leah with me but I cannot leave. George knows too much and has too many connections. Once we try to leave, we'll be hunted down and I don't think I could stand to know what he'd do when he found us. _

_I realize now that I must tell you what has transpired, for I know that your next letter would not be riddled with the sweet nothings that I have come to enjoy. He has taken his hand upon us. He strikes us when his anger takes ahold of him. He no longer sees me as a woman, he sees me as merely a thing that keeps his good reputation up. I fear what this may escalate to, but I beg of you to take Leah away from here. I cannot arrange safe passage with George around. Please, Morgan if you do care anything about me or Leah, you will come and you will take her away from this place. I will try and deter George from her as long as I can. He will not lay another finger on her precious face again, not if I have anything to say about it._

_Just Hurry, Morgan. I am begging you._

_Please,_

_Maria_

* * *

_Morgan,_

_I must keep this letter short, for I have barely managed to escape my tyrant husband's eye. _

_He found your letters that I kept hidden away. How he did, I have no Idea. I keep them hidden in a small box, tacked to the underside of my vanity. He must have been suspecting me for some time now. _

_I am proud to say that I he has yet to lay a hand on our girl, but I have not been able to receive or send any letters as of late. George has intercepted them at every turn and has threatened me at each confrontation. _

_If this is to be my final letter to you, then I must say this now in fear that you will not come or that you never had these intentions toward me in the first place._

_I love you Morgan. I do not say this out of fear for my husband, as I can handle his abuse quite well, but it is the absence of your words and your thoughts that has struck a deep imbalance within me. I long to hear what you thing and see what you know. I think this may be my last letter to you, I cannot risk another outing in fear that Leah may be left with that Monster. I barely trust the staff with her any more, not after our letters had been found._

_I must end it here._

_Love,_

_Maria_

* * *

***- During this time period, wives kept an allowance so men could keep their books balanced and so the women would not blow all of it on frivilous things like she was believed to do if she had the access. It even happens today, but for more financial reasons.**

**Yeah, I know. I just had to keep the sadness going. What was funny was that in the middle of writing this chapter i was like 'I totally ship these two.' And it just kinda happened. Lemme know if you like Maria or nah. I just ship it. And I ship it hard.**

**Please enjoy, as always, and I have great news. I should be having a couple updates during this winter holiday, so stay stoked!**


	12. In Which the Toddler Returns

The night was empty and quiet as a single figure dashed about, trying to get to the pier. If someone was standing close enough, they could make out the distinctive, calming murmur of a woman. If they were even closer, they could see the bundle encased under the figure's cloak, and even hear the soft whimpers it was making.

"We're almost there, please be patient." Maria whispered into her niece's hair as she carried the girl swiftly across the island. "If I read the signs right, you'll be gone come morning."

"What about you?" Was the quiet question from the girl.

"I'll be fine, Leah." Maria said with a fake smile. "You know Uncle George can't hurt me."

It was a lie, but the toddler didn't have the heart to say anything else. She knew her dear aunt was in pain on the inside, but for a reason she couldn't comprehend. Leah detested that 'uncle' of hers with every fiber of her child-like being.

"Come now, dear. We're going to the church for your luggage." Maria said, picking up her already hurried pace. Soon the churchyard came into view and the woman couldn't have been happier. She rushed through the garden, stopping only to put her precious bundle down before knocking forcefully on the door.

"Reverend, it's me!" She called. The door creaked open and the woman stepped in quickly, pulling her niece in with her.

"I thought you'd been caught." The reverend said as he brought his candle to the woman's face. "What are you wearing, dear child?!"

"I figured if I dressed like this, no one would think twice of me being around at this time of night." Maria answered, clutching her niece's hand in her own.

Maria was dressed like she'd been in poverty all her life. Her brown, tattered skirt came to her calves and her 'cloak' was merely a large shawl that fell over her head and shoulders, wrapping around her torso. Her corset was only made of worn leather and it tied around a rough, time-stained chemise. Even her feet were bare.

"Leah?" A tired voice called. The little girl brightened instantly when she saw the white-haired boy come around his father's side, rubbing his eyes.

"Simon!" She yelped, running up to the older boy and hugging him around the waist. The boy yawned and leaned into her hug, resting his head atop hers.

"We have the bag you packed. Can you make it there safely?" The reverend said to the woman.

"I'm sure of it. George will be at the brothel until morning." Maria said, ruffling the young boy's hair. "It's time to say goodbye now."

"We'll see each other again?" Simon asked, holding the little girl protectively in his arms.

"Maybe when you're older, I'm sure you will." Maria said with a smile. "But now we must leave. Say goodbye, Leah."

"Bye Simon. I'll miss you." The quiet girl mumbled in to the boy's collarbone.

"You too." He mumbled back. With that, the two reluctantly separated. The reverend handed Maria the child's bag and saw them to the church door. As they left, both man and boy watched the small family leaved, disappearing into the night.

"Almost there, sweet heart." Maria said softly to the little girl.

It was true. Maria could hear the waves, hear freedom for her beloved niece. She saw a few ships docked at the port, bobbing ever so slightly with the waves that crashed on the water. She felt the little girl tense next to her, recognizing the spot where she'd last seen her true home.

"Auntie—auntie look!" The little girl whispered excitedly, pointing to a ship at the far end of the docks, positioned closest to the open sea for a quick getaway. The ship's deck was laminated, a few figures moving restlessly on board. Maria squinted her eyes, searching for a particularly flirtatious captain.

"I see dear, but we must stay quiet." Maria said, walking a little quicker towards the one ship that was still active in the late hours of the night. The woman could feel her niece's hands tremble in both anticipation and nervousness.

Leah felt fear, excitement, and apprehension. Fear for the thought of being abandoned once again, excitement for seeing her fathers once more, and apprehension because would they really want her back after they left her? Did they suddenly forgive her for whatever she'd done?

Soon both the woman and child were right at the head of the ship, just barely illuminated by its lamplight. The woman turned, walking down a narrow bit of dock beside the ship as she covered her face with the ragged shawl.

"Is this the Sirius?" She called cautiously from her point below the deck of the ship, simultaneously hiding the little girl from view. The movement on deck stopped dead. A few footsteps could be heard rushing over the side.

"Is that the ever so beautiful Maria I see?"

The dashing man she'd only met once, but had shared countless memories left, was sticking his head over the side of the ship with an easy smile but hardened, overly cautious eyes. He wouldn't be able to see the toddler from his position, unless—

"Daddy!" Leah called, rushing forward to see him.

It was mesmerizing for Maria to watch the man's cautious and easygoing expression to melt into something more. It was worry, love, excitement, and longing rolled into one as Morgan watched the little girl with surprise. She had her arms raised up toward him with a stricken look on her pretty face, begging him to come and embrace her like he had when she was only a year younger.

Morgan immediately hopped over the side of the ship landing next to Maria before pulling the little girl into a crushing hug, hiding his face in her neck and he stroked her back.

"Hello baby girl." He said, his voice was anything but even. "You have no idea how much I missed you."

"I love you, daddy." The little girl said, tears falling from her crystalline eyes.  
"And Poppie and Otosan and Père and Babac and Otec. I love you all. Please don't leave me again."

"No, no sweet heart." The man said, pulling back to look at his daughter's face. "Never again. What we did was… rash but you might understand when you're older. For now, your Poppie has a late dinner made and I don't think he wants you to miss it."

The little girl nodded and smile through her tears, hugging him for a few seconds more before he walked her over to the side of the ship and hoisted her onto the deck. Maria watched, transfixed.

"Are you coming?" The man asked, giving Maria a look that told her everything she needed to know. Yes, he loved her.

"I didn't think that there was room…" Maria said, shuffling her bare feet. "And I didn't come prepared."

"Well, I'd be worried if you did that. A treasure is never prepared to be stolen." The pirate said as he came closer, looking down at her with eyes of adoration and mirth. The woman gave a soft snort, amused by his flirtatious antics until a finger lifted her chin and a pair of lips hovered over her own.

Maria closed her eyes, giving the pirate permission for both a kiss and to steal her away.

It was the sweetest kiss she'd ever shared.

* * *

"Poppie?!" The little girl cried as she entered the dining room. None of her other fathers were on deck, but she usually knew where to find her Poppie. As soon as her call rang out, the kitchen door burst open, revealing Nathan searching wildly for his little girl. As soon as he spotted the pearl, he stopped to her height and picked her up crushing her to his chest in relief.

No words needed to be said just yet. The cook's hold was tight and warm, as if protecting the little girl from every harm imaginable. He lifted a hand to her small head, stroking her black locks as if he wasn't sure if she were a dream or reality. It wouldn't be the first time he saw here just pop into his kitchen in his sleep.

"I missed you Poppie." Leah said, small arms wrapped around his neck.

The cook did not need to say anything except choke back a strangled breath. The little girl understood his silent language, and she knew that this meant 'I'm missed you too.' It also had another meaning, something more like, 'I love you, my little girl.'

The cook, although not entirely ready to let go just yet, put the child down and looked her over for a new minutes. Not finding anything marring her porcelain skin, no dark spots that told of violence, the pirate smile softly before standing.

"Are you hungry?" He asked.

"Yes sir!" the little girl said happily. Nathan gave the child a rare, genuine smile that he reserved for her before ruffling her hair and disappearing into the kitchen before emerging with a hot bowl of stew. The little girl gave a yelp of happiness before climbing up onto her spot on the table. The chef sat beside her as she dug into the food, noting how daintily she ate now.

The differences in the girl's demeanor were subtle, but there. Nathan watched with striking acuteness to notice the differences. Her elbows did not grace the table, she chewed with her mouth fully closed, and she ate cleanly, quickly and quietly. Nathan wondered how long it took for the changes to occur in his precious girl.

"Oi Nate, did you see the lass Cap—Leah?" A familiar, gruff voice said. The little girl's head snapped to the doorway to see her Otosan watching her with his uncovered eye wide. Her smile brightened as she quickly scrambled from the table to hug the navigator's legs.

"Otosan!" She cried, almost trying to crush the man in her grip. Nathan watched Eduardo's face, tactfully not mentioning the glassy quality his eye had taken on. The navigator picked the little girl up and cradled her to his chest, allowing Leah to wrap her arms around his neck and hug him for dear life. "I missed you."

"And I you, sweetheart." He said quietly, his voice muffled by the toddler's neck.

Eduardo hadn't expected to see his little princess so soon. The entire crew expected to wait for a week more at the port, braving both navy and constable, before their precious cargo would once again be returned to them. To see her face a week earlier, to embrace her warmth a moment sooner reminded Eduardo what he thought heaven should feel like.

"Poppie made stew. Hungry?" Leah asked, making the navigator chuckle unevenly. He was fighting back tears for his little princess as he held her.

"No Leah, I have to get back to the ship. We'll eat together tomorrow morning, hmm?" Eduardo soothed, running his fingers through her familiar hair- that hair he had tied away from her face with so much care that it hurt him to breath, the hair he had to learn not pull too hard because it hurt her head, the hair that looked so much like his, they almost could be blood relatives.

"Okay. Good night Otosan." Leah replied, kissing her father on the cheek. "Love you, sweet dreams."

Eduardo choked silently as his emotions built in his throat. He pulled the girl away slightly to kiss her forehead before hugging her a second time. Seconds later, he let her fall away from his grasp, setting her gently back on the floor.

"Alright kiddo, you know the rules on board. I don't want to wake up tomorrow to find you capsized in the ocean." The navigator said with mock seriousness that only the chef could see.

"Yes sir!" Leah said seriously, making both the pirates chuckle. Eduardo ruffled her hair and nodded to Nathan before forcing himself back to the head of the ship.

Tomorrow, he said to himself. I _will _see her tomorrow.

After Eduardo left, Leah returned to her stew and finished it, letting the warmth it gave seep into her bones. She let out a yawn, unable to hide it from her Poppie.

"Tired?"

"No."

Nathan let a soft laugh escape at the girl's answer. Her face was scrunched in distaste at the thought of going to bed so soon after she had arrived on the ship. She hadn't even seen the rest of her fathers, how could she sleep!

"You'll see them tomorrow morning. You need rest." Nathan said. "And we have a surprise."

The little girl's head turned to look at him with wonder when he said surprise. What kind of surprise? Was it a good surprise? She sure hoped so.

"Okay." She said, letting the chef take her hand and walk her to the deck. There, they turned to the hall that held the cabins, where Leah became confused. "Poppie, something's wrong."

The chef 'hmm' in question of his daughter's blunt statement.

"There's an extra door." She said, narrowing her eyes at the anomaly in the hall. Nathan chuckled and nodded before leading her to said door and opening it, asking her to go inside.

The room was as big as the others, but held a few slight differences. Unlike the white sheets of some of her father's rooms, Leah's bed had multiple sheets of purple and black, her pillows matching the lavish fabric that the pirates found. Her favorite, thought, was the warm quilt made of the off grey fabric from Sadsibar.

On the opposite wall where everyone else's dressers were was a chest she was sure came from the captain's room itself. Inside she'd find an array of clothes for her to play in and dress up with. The chest itself was a dark mahogany that matched her bed, bolted together with golden screws. In the corner was a rocking chair that matched the wood, a size fitting for any of the pirates to come in and check on their little girl for a while.

"We wanted to make sure you were comfortable and taken care of when we picked you up." Nathan said softly as he watched the girl look at the bed in wonder. "We all agreed that you were big enough to have your own room."

Nathan received a hug from the child—a desperate, living hug. Somehow, despite her young age, the little girl knew how much this gift meant and how much it must have cost her fathers. Nathan smiled as he wrapped his arms around the girl, lifting her and taking her to the bed. He pulled back the covers and laid her down before tucking her back in. He sat with on the side of the bed, waiting for her to go to sleep for the first time in her new room.

Leah was home.

* * *

**Okayyyy, lemme just explain myself here. First I got sick, then I got writer's block, then I was overrun with choir crap and only had this half written, and then I was studying for my SAT. Now, finals are almost here, someone please go dig my grave for me.**

**Okay, so notice that I have kept Maria. Originally, the letter chapter was an experiment, testing the waters sort of deal to where if enough people didn't like the thought or style, I'd change a couple things around. However, the positive reviews and conversations I had with a few people outweighed the negative, so Maria stays as the mother figure. Probably not going to add another one, but who knows.**

**Please enjoy, I'll see you whenever I update again because it's going to be a little sporadic until summer comes around.**


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